TS00 Journeys Converge
by Jonn Wolfe
Summary: This AU spawned from a dream I had. Rose spent a bit more time in Pete's World before coming back to warn him about the stars going out. 10/Rose, 10.5/Martha, Jack, Donna.
1. What?

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter One  
- What? -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write. _

_Yes, another AU sprang from my brain. Happened in a dream, so welcome to my madness._

_I will not write out what happened in Journey's End that has not changed... Which is why this is happening in the middle of everything._

* * *

Donna followed the Doctor out of the TARDIS to find themselves in a bit of a ruin. A church was close by, but what drew their attention was the emptiness of the streets and the burning cars.

The Doctor turned around to face her. "Think, Donna, think. What else did she say to you?" His brain caught up with the fact that she was smiling and looking over his shoulder.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" she said gently.

The Doctor's respiratory bypass kicked in with those words, as shock went over his face. Turning to look over his shoulder, he could see a very familiar blond walking towards them from down the street. He completely didn't care about that rather large rifle she was carrying.

Just the sight of her brilliant smile caused his hearts to stutter. Smiling wide himself, he bolted down the street towards her. He noted with some great satisfaction that she started running at the same time. He never knew it, but the first honest smile creased Donna's mouth when he took off.

He could swear he heard her screaming _'I'm here!'_ as they were running, but he didn't see her mouth move. That thought flew from his brain as he heard 'EXTERMINATE!' from his left. Time seemed to slow, only it wasn't him doing it. He'd heard of this phenomenon with humans during heightened states of anxiety or fear, most notably while in the middle of car accidents, but never experienced it himself before now.

The only thing he could do was twist himself slightly, and that was the only thing that saved him as unholy agony ripped through his left side. The faint sounds of a teleport and an energy blast was completely overwhelmed by Rose's screaming 'No!'. Her voice seemed to be coming from everywhere as he hit the asphalt.

What he didn't expect was feeling his head caught by a hand before it impacted. Not completely coherent, the Doctor looked up into gold flecked hazel eyes. "Rose," he rasped.

"Hello," she whispered. "You're not dying today, do you HEAR ME! I've spent too much time getting back to have you die on me now, so you..."

Jack interrupted her as Donna fell on her knees next to them. "Get him in the TARDIS!"

* * *

Sarah Jane was frantic. Once they broke through the interference and got through to the Doctor, she had to get to him. The streets were empty, so it was completely surprising when she ran into two Daleks after she turned a corner.

Seeing them swivel their eye stalks to stare at her, she threw her hands up. "I give up! I surrender! I'm sorry!"

"DALEKS DO NOT ACCEPT APOLOGIES. EXTERMINATE!"

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, Donna was losing her mind. "What's going on?"

Kneeling over the Doctor, Rose cupped his cheek. "I really love this face," she said under her breath.

The Doctor held his hand up, seeing it glow. "It's started," he stated full of dread.

Her head snapped up suddenly to stare at the console. "Right. Good idea!" She looked at Jack. "Get that hand over here!"

Jack looked confused, but did as she asked. "What's this for?"

Rose grinned at the Doctor. "Biomatched receptacle."

The Doctor looked at her in wonder as he grunted in pain. "You heard her," he rasped.

"Always will," she replied. "Get the timing right and don't miss."

"Here we go!" Jack said. "Good luck, Doctor."

"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" Donna yelled.

"C'mon, Rose," Jack prodded as she helped the Doctor stand. "Time Lords can cheat death. They call it regenerating. It's a bit explosive, and their entire appearance changes. Personality too."

Holding the Doctor up by his armpits, Rose grinned. "Yeah, but we got a Plan-B. Don't we swee'hear'?"

Despite the pain, the Doctor smiled. "Back up, or you'll get hit and that hurts a lot."

Her smile was a bit forced now, but Rose nodded and went to the opposite side of the console from where Jack was holding on to Donna. "DO IT RIGHT!" she yelled at him.

"ALLONS-Y!" the Doctor screamed as he threw his head back and exploded from every bit of exposed skin.

"C'mon, c'mon," Rose murmured, holding her fingers crossed behind her back and squinting at him. "Please."

Nerves, muscles, and part of his brain reconstituted themselves, then the Doctor bent forward and aimed the remaining energy into the hand that was in front of him. Once it all blew away from him, the Doctor gasped and stood up straight – still himself and unchanged. "How the hell can you hear my ship?" he shouted at Rose.

"Shut it," Rose said with a huge smile on her face. "Weren't you paying attention?" Off his look of confusion, she grabbed his lapels and snogged him outright.

Even though he was stunned as much as Donna was, Jack chuckled. "Bout damn time."

* * *

An explosion of light to her right drew the two Dalek's attention away from Sarah Jane, and she saw one of their tops explode with a scream. "ALERT!" the other one said, just before it exploded as well.

Her door opened, and a young black woman with braided hair leaned down to check on her. "Sarah Jane Smith?" she asked her.

Looking up, she didn't recognise her at all. "Yes? Who are you? Thank you so much!"

The young lady grinned. "Danielle Smith. Mickey's my dad. C'mon, we need to catch up with my godmother. Do you know where the TARDIS is?"

"Mickey Smith is your father?"

"He sent you a message," she grinned cheekily. "Us Smith's need to stick together."

"Are you breaking the laws of time or something?" She shook herself. _Not important_, she thought. "The TARDIS should be around the corner."

Danielle nodded with a smile. "Let's go. Leave the car."

"Where's your father?"

"His knees are shot, so I thought I'd help my godmother."

She looked at her in confusion. "Who's that?"

"Oh, just the crazy blond woman that wont show her age." She looked at her and grinned. "Rose Tyler."

* * *

Donna hadn't removed herself from Jack's arms, and they both tilted their heads slightly while the Doctor was getting his face smooched to death. "Oi, get a room," she said a bit quietly. To say that she was shocked didn't do the effect justice.

Jack chuckled. "Let them have it. Been a long time coming."

"You're telling me," Donna said with a huge grin on her face. "I don't think I've ever seen him that happy before." The sight of those two going at it made her fidget, and she held Jack's waist a bit tighter. "Damn," she mumbled.

"Tell me about it," Jack agreed with a wide grin.

All of the Doctor's questions died when Rose's lips met his, and his arms went around her without his say so – not that he was complaining in the least. However, he lost a bit more of his control and groaned when her right leg went up to hook around his waist.

Rose thoroughly enjoyed the noise her leg around his hip caused. The firmness she felt in between them was even more lovely. Once she knew his defences were completely down, she surprised him. _'How was that sentence supposed to end?'_ she thought to him.

_'Rose Tyler, I love you,'_ the Doctor thought back without thinking about it, which was all sorts of ironic. Then he broke the kiss, noting his protesting mouth when her tongue left it. "Did you just say that in my head?"

Grinning like mad, Rose nodded. "Surprise," she whispered. Over the moon at hearing the words, she assaulted his mouth again.

"We missed something," Donna said, trying her best to not rub her thighs together. Something about Jack was _really_ getting to her, and these two put PDA on a whole new level.

* * *

Coming around the corner, Danielle and Sarah Jane saw the TARDIS being surrounded by four Daleks. Hiding behind a car, they heard, "INITIATE TEMPORAL PRISON!"

* * *

Their second kiss was better than the first, but was rudely interrupted by the TARDIS screeching in pain. Breaking apart, they both looked up as the lights went out. "Ohhhh no no no no!" The Doctor ran around the console, checking everything.

Rose put her hands to her head. "What are they doing to her!" she shrieked in obvious pain.

Stopping abruptly, the Doctor stared at Rose. Seeing her like that, he shot around to hold her by her shoulders. "Stasis lock, chrono loop," he mumbled. _She can feel this,_ he thought. Watching her eyes blinking rapidly, he was alarmed when he saw bits of gold escape her eyes.

"No, no, no, no!" he panicked. "Rose, look at me! Pull back! Pull back from the pain. Rose, look at me."

Focusing on the Doctor, she could see him in a near nutter. "It hurts," she whimpered. Then her voice changed and went deeper. /"Help me, Beloved."/

The second voice alarmed him to his teeth. "Pull back from Rose, old girl! Just a bit. She can feel this. Do it now!"

The flecks of gold that were flicking from her eyes faded, and Rose started crying. "What are they doing to her?"

He pulled her head into his shoulder and held her tight. "They've put the ship into a temporal prison of sorts. I know it hurts. I can feel it too, but you need to pull back enough to focus. I _need_ you."

Hearing that calmed her down. "Need you too," she whimpered. "Always need you."

* * *

Danielle and Sarah Jane were dismayed when the TARDIS was pulled upwards. "Oh, crap," Danielle muttered.

"If the Daleks have the Doctor, then that's where we need to be," Sarah Jane said, then looked at her young companion. "Drop the gun."

"What?" Danielle hissed in confusion.

Sarah Jane nodded. "If they see you're armed, they'll shoot you dead. Trust me."

Not liking it, Danielle unstrapped her rifle and set it on the ground. She was shocked when Sarah Jane held her hands up, but followed suit when she stepped out behind her.

"Daleks!" Sarah Jane shouted, getting their attention. "We surrender."

"HUMANS IN THIS SECTOR WILL BE TAKEN TO THE CRUCIBLE."

* * *

Jack was at the keyboard, looking at the monitor. "Looks like we're headed to that station in the middle of all the planets. Rose, you okay?"

"I will be," she said, holding on to the Doctor for support. _'As long as I'm with you, I'll be just fine,'_ she thought to the Doctor.

_'How did this happen?'_ he asked her.

Rose lifted her chin and put her mouth to his ear. "Bad Wolf," she whispered. "I remember everything that happened at the Gamestation. You pulled it out too soon, love. I wasn't done cookin' yet."

The Doctor pulled back to look at her, completely gobsmacked. "What?"

She pulled his arms from around her waist and placed his hands above her breasts, to let him feel the twin beating inside her chest. "Make more sense now?" she asked with a coy smile.

His shocked expression changed slowly to a wide grin. "I thought I was just happy seeing you again, but I can _really_ _feel_ you up here," he twitched his head to emphasize, since she had hold of his hands.

"Don't you two start anything while we've got bad things going on," Donna chided with a grin from where it looked like his hands were. "I know you missed each other, but _please_, skinny boy. Show some restraint for heaven's sake."

Looking over at her, Rose and the Doctor grinned and said, "Shut it, Noble." Their surprised look at each other from saying the same thing got them to laughing.


	2. All Aboard

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter Two  
- All Aboard -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write. _

_I'll go back to River Run soon. Just have to get this out of my head first._

_Music: Paul Oakenfold - Ready Steady Go_

* * *

Danielle and Sarah Jane were herded with other people into a transport ship. It was densely packed and Sarah Jane had a firm grip around Danielle's side, completely in protective mother bear mode. There was nervous chatter all over the place and she turned to look at her saviour, or charge, to study her face. She could see Mickey in the shape, but Danielle's eyes were larger. Oddly enough, she didn't look afraid.

"Danielle or Danny?" she asked her quietly.

Danielle looked at her. "Only dad and Sarah call me Dannie."

"All right, Danielle it is," she nodded. "How did you find me?"

"Rose got the dimension cannon workin', and saw that there was gonna be trouble for you." Her eyes darted to the side a bit. "Dad wanted to come himself, but he just couldn't."

Seeing the look of pain on her face, Sarah Jane held her a bit tighter. "Is he all right?"

"It's just …" Danielle paused when she looked Sarah Jane in the eyes. Something about her made it impossible to lie. "He's sick."

Sarah Jane frowned a bit. "How bad?"

"Bad enough," she evaded.

Anything else she was going to say was interrupted by clanging from outside. Everyone turned their heads to the rear and saw the ramp lowering. "ALL HUMANS WILL DISEMBARK."

* * *

The Doctor looked like he had an epiphany. In reality though, his brain had just caught up with itself. "Rose, that universe is faster than this one. What's been happening?"

"Started five years ago," Rose began, not letting up on the hug. She saw his eyebrows arch, and nodded. "Longer than you think," she quietly commented before continuing. "Anyway, large swaths of star clusters started disappearing. No warning or anything. They just stopped being there, which is weird considering the speed of light. We contacted several other worlds in the Confederacy and confirmed the pattern. Sto and a few other planets sent scientific probes and ships, only to have them vanish along with everything else."

"Where did it start?" the Doctor asked.

She looked up at him. "We called it Grid Epsilon Delta, but I have no idea what it's called here."

It took him a split second to decide. Holding his hand up to her temple, the Doctor looked at her questioningly. "May I see?"

Rose grinned with a nod and closed her eyes. Jack and Donna watched as the Doctor placed his fingertips on her temple. It didn't seem to last long, and he pulled back. "The Medusa Cascade," he breathed. "We're here already."

Rose leaned closer as he pulled his hand away. It was completely involuntary, but she wanted that back – _him_ back. She ended up resting her head on his shoulder.

The Doctor's head flicked to look at her sharply. His gobsmacked expression made Jack and Donna curious. "Nineteen _years_?"

"Yep," Rose said with a smirk, not willing to back away long enough to look at him.

"What?" Jack asked.

Rose opened her eyes and looked at him with a bit of a frown. "Nineteen linear years of hell, being separated."

Donna's eyes flew wide open with a bit of a squeak coming out of her mouth. "You don't _look_ thirty nine. More like one of them Uni students."

"Forty eight," Rose corrected, "but thank you. Took a bit of time bouncing through different universes to find the right one, then spending quite a while in that alternate of yours. Been hell trying to keep the biddies away wanting to figure out who my doctor was."

"I'm right here," the Doctor deadpanned, then paused as something else he saw came forward in his mind. "Rose …"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you lie to me?"

Frowning, Rose pulled back to look up at him. "Pardon?" Seeing the expression of pain on his face, she understood. "She's yours," she blurted. _Damn. I wanted him to find out after. Now he'll be all distracted. Shit._

"What?" he gaped at her. Rose just nodded at him with a smile. "But … it was … only the …" he stuttered.

"All it takes is once, Doctor," Rose said quietly with a smirk. "You _should_ know that. But since you don't think about things like that, I'll let that one slide."

_'Where?'_

_'Out of harms way. Don't worry, you'll see her soon.'_

_'Why did you lie to me?'_

_'Didn't you say it would make two universes collapse? I didn't want to torture you.'_

"I would've moved Heaven and Earth!" the Doctor shouted, startling the other two in the room.

"That's why," Rose whispered.

Seeing the single trailing tear going down her face, the Doctor realized she felt horrible about it. Understanding went through him, and he wiped the tear off of her cheek. "It's okay," he murmured. "What's her name?"

"Doctor!" Jack interrupted. "We're here."

Moving to look at the monitor, the Doctor forced his emotions into a box. "The Dalek Crucible. All aboard." That box leaked when he looked up at Rose, and he grinned despite himself.

* * *

Moved into a large area, Danielle saw that they weren't being watched. Taking advantage, she gripped Sarah Jane's hand tightly and pulled her out of the small crowd. Ducking around a pillar, they found a door – locked.

Sarah Jane pulled a lippy out of her pocket and took the cap off. The red sonic inside hummed at he ball interface, and the door slid open. "Good work. Come on."

* * *

The room shifted with the thud of the TARDIS landing. The four caught their balance, and they heard a rather deep sounding Dalek voice. "DOCTOR! COME AND FACE YOUR DALEK MASTERS."

The Doctor looked pensive, and Rose took his hand completely out of reflex. _'We'll make it,'_ she thought to him.

Nodding with a grateful smile, he looked to the outer door. "We'll have to go out. 'Cause if we don't, they'll get in."

"Genghis Khan?" Rose teased.

"Extrapolator shielding?" Jack added.

The Doctor looked at both of them in turn. "Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers, hybrids, and completely _mad_. But _this_ is a fully-fledged Dalek Empire at the height of its power. Experts at fighting TARDIS and War TARDIS, and anything to do with TARDIS. Right now…

"Right now that wooden door… is just wood," he finished up his explanation with a rather hefty sigh.

Rose was interrupted from seeing Donna fade out on them by Jack. "You've got some sort of dimension jump, right?"

"Needs twenty minutes to recharge," she said dismissively with a shake of her head. "And anyway, I'm not leaving."

"What about your teleport?" The Doctor asked Jack.

He flipped his strap open and showed it to them. "Went down with the power loss."

Warbling a breath through his lips, the Doctor edged them closer to the door. "Right then. All of us, together. New old team, yeah? Donna?" He looked over to see her frozen in place, and puts his hand gently on her shoulder. "Donna?"

Whatever it was, she snapped out of it and looked at him. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry Donna, there's nothing else we can do," he said softly.

Donna nodded. "Yeah, I … I know." Her fake smile was in place, matching his.

"So!" the Doctor said brightly.

Rose gripped his hand tight. "Daleks, yeah?" She wiggled her fingers in the air with a smirk.

"Oh God," Jack chuckled.

The Doctor had a caught expression between amused and horrified. "Please don't do that again, Rose. Once was terrifying enough."

"Spoilsport," she pouted.

"It's been good, though," the Doctor said, grinning at the antics. "Hasn't it? All of us, all of time and everything we did? No worries though. Because, you Uncle Jack, and you Aunt Donna, have a niece to meet and I'm not about to orphan her."

Both of them stared, completely floored. "You … two," Donna said.

"Had a baby?" Jack finished the question.

The Doctor shrugged with a grin that wouldn't stop. "Just found out, myself."

"Talk about Sarah later, yeah?" Rose said quietly.

The Doctor beamed a wide eyed smile at her. "Perfect. Choice." They grinned at each other for a moment, then he caught himself. "Right … Blimey."

Turning, the three of them left the TARDIS not knowing that one of them was stuck in her own head again.

"Ohhhhkay," the Doctor said as he came out the door. Daleks were everywhere, from rolling in formation on multiple levels that were far away, to _flying_ in formation over their heads; This place was completely full of them.

"Jesus," Jack muttered.


	3. Revealing Soul

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter Three  
- Revealing Soul -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write. _

_Music: Muse - Undisclosed Black Hole (loofslaw Mash Up)_

* * *

Sarah Jane followed Danielle through a network of small corridors. They seemed to be in a strange sort of ventilation system, and the only consolation was that it was too small for the Daleks to follow. Of course, that also meant that they had to crawl.

Danielle stopped and swung her left hand back and forth with that strange palmtop of hers. It looked like a cross between something Luke or Rani would fuss over, and something the Doctor would whip up. "Everything all right?" she asked her.

Huffing in aggravation, Danielle pivoted to sit. "Trying to get this thing to differentiate between the prisoners we came with, with the ones we're trying to locate."

Sitting next to her, Sarah Jane winced as she rubbed her aching knees. "Interference?"

"Something like that," she grumbled. "Thought that big shaft would clear things up," she waved absently to their right.

Sarah Jane looked to the rather large expanse not three feet away from them. Leaning over, she looked up and down. "Not a bad idea, there. Should be clear of too much structure that would bounce signals around. So," she looked up again, "what seems to be the trouble?"

As soon as she asked, a blue blur fell through the shaft. Wide eyed, Sarah Jane fell to her stomach in order to look down after it. "Was that the TARDIS?"

Danielle lay next to her to look down. "No idea, but whatever it was is headed straight for that huge power spike that's messing with this thing."

Sarah Jane looked at the palmtop in Danielle's hand. "So you're trying to pick up where the Doctor is? Remember he's not human."

"Oh, of course," Danielle said, feeling like a right idiot. "Okay, scanning for two people with two hearts with a body temp around seventy."

"Wait, what?" Sarah Jane blinked. "What do you mean _two_ people? Is there another Time Lord here? The Doctor's the last one!"

"Oh, you think?" The smile on Danielle's face was smug. "Been living with two of them for most of my life, and neither of them are the Doctor."

"Stop being coy," Sarah Jane chastised. "The last Time Lord we ran into that _wasn't_ the Doctor was a complete maniac!"

Danielle blinked, and her smile fell. "Sorry. You don't have to worry about Rose or Sarah trying to take over the world or anything, unless of course the world's holding the Doctor hostage or something."

Mouth dropping open, Sarah Jane put her hand on Danielle's shoulder. "What did you say?"

* * *

Rolling out from under a closing door, Jack hastily beat out the flames that were licking at his coat. "Stupid. Now I don't even have a gun." Hiding behind a pillar, he cracked and stretched his neck.

Flipping his strap open, he was pleased to see that the interference was broken and the manipulator was working again. "Okay, two with two hearts," he whispered with a grin. "That's them, and they're being moved." His strap squibbled. "Two got away. Better not be Gwen and Ianto," he grumbled as he headed in their direction.

* * *

The Doctor and Rose were separated in the vault, trapped in two different force cages. It was hard work to make themselves appear devastated by the loss of the TARDIS, and the Doctor emphatically stressed that they had to. While the screaming did stop, they both felt a strange echo and mental reassurances from the TARDIS as it disappeared from the zed neutrino core of the Crucible.

While they were left alone, Rose decided to tell the Doctor about their daughter via telepathy. Informative, the mental discussion was more of a distraction from their current situation. Sarah Anne Tyler was born nearly nineteen linear years ago. And, much to the surprise of the Doctor, she was born with two hearts. Normally, the second heart wouldn't develop until after the first regeneration.

Rose told him that Sarah got his gob, messy hair, physique, nose and chin; while she got Rose's hips, eyes, cheekbones and height (_or lack thereof_). Her smile was a direct mix of them both, though. While a snarky sense of humour got her in trouble more than once in school, she had already acquired three PhD's by the age of thirteen and was instrumental in helping her get the cannon functional again.

While the Doctor wanted to know what she looked like, he had asked Rose not to give him her image. Mostly, he didn't want to chance that it would break the mask of emotional pain on his face. That, and it would distract him from things far too much. As it was, the image she sent of their hands being tied together in a traditional handfasting had his lips twitching.

He said yes immediately.

Their mental conference was interrupted when Davros came to taunt them.

* * *

Crawling through the ductwork of ventilation, Jack was nearly to the two blips on his strap. Before he had a chance to turn right, a gun barrel touched his temple as soon as it cleared the corner. "Uhm, I come in peace?" he whispered rather lamely.

The gun came away from his head, and he heard Sarah Jane hissing. "I told you to drop your weapons! If the Daleks found out you were armed, we would have been killed on the spot!"

"Sorry," an unfamiliar female voice said. "Hunting for the Doctor, are we?" she asked him.

Turning his head, he saw Sarah Jane and a rather attractive young black woman. Grinning, he turned up the charm. "Captain Jack Harkness, and _who_ are _you_?"

"Not _now_, Captain," Sarah Jane chastised.

The girl smirked at him. "You have _got_ to be Captain Cheesecake. Danielle Smith. Dad says hi, and you lost your chance with Rose – so no pining away for my Godmother, you."

"I never have any fun," he mock pouted. "And that's _Beef_cake."

"And _yet_, still cheesy," Danielle snarked with a grin.

Jack looked at her and tried to stifle his chuckles.

* * *

Rose was completely astonished, and yet not that surprised. The so called 'test' that they were shown, along with the Doctor's and Davros' explanations of what occurred, proved that she was exactly where she needed to be. Not that she doubted that for a minute.

Yet another thing to be blamed on the Daleks. Just how insane was Davros anyway? Destroying everything throughout the multiverse? Put pyromania to shame.

_'Some people just want to watch the world burn,'_ the Doctor said in her head.

Rose glanced at him with her eyes. _'Yeah, and people like that need to be permanently contained or put down.'_

_'Containment didn't work,'_ the Doctor quietly commented. _'He just got worse.'_

They looked at each other again with pensive expressions. They didn't need to point out the other option, as it was as obvious as it was painful.

* * *

Their musings were interrupted when a holographic screen appeared in the air. The woman on the screen shocked both of them for different reasons.

_'Adeola?' _Rose wondered. She didn't mean to think that to the Doctor, but speaking to each other with their minds seemed more natural than breathing.

The Doctor glanced at her. _'No, that's Dr. Martha Jones. Kept me from completely losing it after you fell.' _

_'She didn't replace you,'_ he added rather quickly, and sent Rose a feather touch of affection.

Rose smirked at how defensive that sounded, but Martha spoke before she had a chance to tease him.

~"Repeat, this message is for the Dalek Crucible, can you hear me?"~

"Put me through," the Doctor said.

Davros smiled maliciously. "It begins, just as Caan foretold."

The gibbering giggling of Caan to their left started babbling again. "The Children of Time will gather, and one of them will die," he giggled.

The Doctor glared at him. "Stop saying that! Put me through!" He looked up to the screen, "Martha! Where are you?"

Martha reacted as her screen showed the interior of the vault, and her face cracked with worry. ~"Doctor! I'm sorry. I had to."~

Head tilted back, Davros rolled forward. "The Doctor is powerless. State your intent."

They saw her hold up something that looked like a large memory card. ~"I've got the Osterhagen Key. Leave this planet and its people alone, or I'll use it."~

The Doctor's face screwed up in confusion. "Osterhagen what? What's an Osterhagen Key?"

Martha was grim faced. ~"There's a chain of twenty five nuclear warheads, placed at strategic points beneath the Earth's crust. If I use this key, they detonate, and the Earth gets ripped apart."~

"What?" the Doctor baulked in a high pitch. "Who invented _that_? Well, someone called Osterhagen, I suppose. Martha, are you _insane_?"

~"The Osterhagen Key is to be used if the suffering of the Human Race is so great, so without hope, that this becomes the final option,"~ Martha intoned.

The Doctor was astonished. "That's _never_ an option."

~"Don't argue with me, Doctor!"~ Martha shouted. ~"'Cause it's more than that! Now, I reckon the Daleks _need_ these twenty seven planets for something, so what if it becomes twenty _six_? What happens then? Daleks? Would you risk it?"~

"Oh, she's good," Rose said.

~"Who's that?"~

"My name's Rose. Rose Tyler."

~"Oh my God, he found you!"~

Rose couldn't hold her smile back, and she glanced at the Doctor. _'Never talk about anyone in your past, yeah?'_

_'You're special,'_ the Doctor thought back, amused.

A second screen appeared next to the other one. Jack, Danielle, and Sarah Jane could be seen, and Jack held something up that was trailing wires. ~"Captain Jack Harkness, calling all the Dalek boys and girls, are you receiving me? Don't send in your goons, or I'll set this thing off!"~

"Danielle?" Rose breathed. _'Oh, I'm so tanning your hide when this is over.'_

The Doctor's eye twitched when he saw Sarah Jane. "Captain, what are you doing?"

Jack's grin was smug. ~"I've got a Warp Star wired into the mainframe. I break this shell, the entire Crucible goes up."~

"_What_?" the Doctor half shrieked. "Where did you get a Warp Star?"

~"From me,"~ Sarah Jane said, stepping next to Jack. ~"We had no choice. We saw what happened to the prisoners, and if that was just a test..."~

"Impossible," Davros said, wheeling forward. "That face... After all these years, can it be?"

~"Davros?"~ she said, appalled, then her face set itself in stone. ~"It's been quite a while. Sarah Jane Smith. Remember?"~

His smile was disgusting. "Oh, but this was meant to be! The circle of time is closing. You were there on _Skaro_ at the very beginning."

~"And I've learned how to fight since then. Let the Doctor go, or this Warp Star gets opened,"~ she demanded.

Jack wrapped a finger around the chain holding the diamond appearing device. ~"I'll do it! Don't imagine I wouldn't. I'm ready."~

~"It's the Crucible or the Earth,"~ Martha said. ~"Daleks?"~

"Now that's what I call a ransom," Rose smirked. She looked to the Doctor and saw pain on his face. "Doctor?"

"And the prophecy unfolds," Davros said, delighted.

"The Doctor's soul is revealed!" Caan said, still giggling. "See him! See the heart of him!"

Davros turned his chair around and smiled. "The man who abhors violence. Never carrying a gun. But this is the truth, Doctor! You take ordinary people and fashion _them_ into weapons. Behold your Children of Time, transformed into murderers. I made the Daleks, Doctor. You made this."

"They're trying to help," the Doctor said quietly.

"Already, I have seen them sacrifice today, for their beloved Doctor," Davros taunted. "The Earth woman who fell, opening the Subwave Network."

"Who was that?" the Doctor asked.

"Harriet Jones," Rose said quietly. "They killed her when they found the control to the Subwave Network."

_'It's not your fault,' _she added.

"How many more?" Davros droned. "Just think. How many have died in your name?"

_'How many more _lived_ because of you?' _Rose asked him. _'How many lived because you stood up and said no?'_

Davros continued on, unknowing of what Rose was saying. "The Doctor. The man who keeps running, never looking back. Because he dare not, out of shame. This is my final victory, Doctor. I have shown you yourself."

Faces of the fallen flashed through his mind, and the Doctor felt what Rose was telling him deeply. Different faces appeared in his memory, smiling ones who thanked him, and he shared them with her. In response, she showed him what their daughter looked like.

His scowling frown faded as a large smile appeared. Davros was confused. Looking to the ceiling briefly, the Doctor started laughing. Long loud guffaws echoed throughout the room. Rose was smiling wide, and she glanced to the screens to see the others with similar expressions on their faces.

"Oh yes!" The Doctor shouted. "How _hard_ it must be for you," he said, looking back to stare at Davros. "Living in the dark places of the mind for so long, you've _forgotten_ the Kaled creed: Defence of House and Home, so that _Our Children_ will be Safe!

"You _idiot_. I taught them to stand up for themselves, to fight the darkness and people like _you_, who simply cannot do anything except kill, just for the sake of it. Psychologists would have a _field day_ trying to discover what twists and turns you have in your foul mind."

Growling, Davros turned to stare at Caan. Surprisingly, Caan was quiet.

~"Enough,"~ a deep Dalek voice came from the speakers. ~"Engage defence zero-five."~

A simultaneous bluish white radiance came from the holographic screens and the space to the far left of Rose and the Doctor. Jack, Danielle, and Sarah Jane stumbled as they appeared. Martha fell backwards, as she was sitting when she was transmatted.

Jack sped over and helped Martha to her feet. "I've got you. It's all right."

The Doctor reached out just enough to show them the sparking force field he was standing in. "Don't move! All of you stay still."

"Guard them!" Davros shouted angrily. "On your knees, all of you! Surrender!"

The three Daleks that were around the centre console came out and aimed their guns at the new arrivals.

Rose glared at Danielle. "I told you to stay put!" she hissed.

"Dad overruled you!" Danielle retorted, just as angry.

Incensed, Davros turned to face them. "And the final prophecy is in place. The Doctor and his Children, all gathered, as witnesses! Supreme Dalek! The time has come! Now _detonate_ the Reality Bomb!"


	4. Triplets

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter Four  
- Triplets -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write. _

_Music: Hans Zimmer Mombasa_

* * *

The atmosphere in the Vault was tense. Jack, Martha, Sarah Jane and Danielle were on their knees with their hands on their heads. Jack was looking at the Doctor for any indication as to what he was planning, as were Martha and Sarah Jane. Danielle on the other hand, was gaping at Martha in apparent shock.

~"Activate planetary alignment. that same deep Dalek voice ordered over whatever passed as loudspeakers in this place."Universal Reality Detonation in two hundred rels. 199, 198, 197..."~

"You can't!" the Doctor pleaded. "Davros, just listen to me. Just _stop_!"

_'I feel the TARDIS,'_ Rose said. She distracted him from Caan's incessant, insane giggling. _'Will Donna be able to do anything?'_

_'I don't know,' _the Doctor replied. _'There was that echo, but I'm completely out of ideas,'_ he confessed. _'If we can just delay them long enough... We _have_ to get out of these cells!'_

Davros interrupted them with a triumphant rant. "Nothing can stop the detonation! Nothing! And no one!" He degenerated into howling cackles.

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, a _second_ Doctor in a blue suit was frantically putting the final touches on a gun like device in Donna's hands. "It's ready!" Left handed, he slammed a lever. "Maximum power!"

The sound of the engines ground out, and the second Doctor grinned at Donna. "Ready for this, earth-girl?"

"Oh, yes!" Donna shouted with a matching grin, as she threw the brake off.

* * *

With the countdown continuing, the Doctor was about to get Jack to try for a diversion when the air in the room started whipping about. Rose and the Doctor snapped their heads to the centre of the disturbance with matching grins. Jack stood up with a huge smile on his face.

"Impossible," Davros said, completely shocked.

The TARDIS materialized with a thunk. A split second later the door opened to reveal the second Doctor, who was backlit from the light of the time rotor. The Doctor frowned when he saw the gun like device in his double's hand, and recognized the look on his face.

"Brilliant," Jack gasped out.

_'That has some possibilities,'_ Rose thought cheekily.

_'Mind out of the gutter, Tyler,'_ the Doctor thought back with a hint of mirth. _'Besides, I don't share.'_

_'Spoilsport,' _she ribbed him. _'It's so much fun down there.'_

His eyes flicked over to meet hers. _'Mine,'_ he declared.

Smiling wide at his possessiveness, Rose nodded. _'Always.'_

The second Doctor was oblivious to the exchange, and he ran out of the TARDIS aiming that gun thing at Davros.

Realizing what he was intending to do, the Doctor shouted at him. "_Don't_!"

Davros calmly lifted his hand and shot a bolt of electricity, hitting the second Doctor in the dead centre of his chest. The Doctor in blue fell hard, and the gun slid to the side. "Activate holding cell."

The second Doctor looked up to see a force cage descend around him. He was breathing heavily, slowly getting to his feet.

There was a clatter from the TARDIS, and Donna ran out with the door slamming shut behind her. "I got it," she said as she scooped up the gun, "But I don't know what to _do_!"

Davros shoots her with another bolt of electricity, flinging her backwards to crash behind the Dalek console.

"Donna!" the Doctor shouted fearfully.

"Destroy the weapon," Davros orders. One of the three Daleks in the room pivots and fries it with its blaster.

"Donna!" the Doctor shouted again. "Are you all right? Donna!"

Davros looked disappointed. "I was wrong about your warriors, Doctor. They are pathetic."

Rose looked over to see the Doctor in blue stand on shaky feet. "And just where did you spring from?"

The second Doctor held his right hand up and wiggled his fingers. "Human biological metacrisis."

"Never mind that," the Doctor said quietly. "We've no way of stopping the Reality Bomb."

_'Human... is that why I can't...'_ Rose asked.

_'Yep,' _the Doctor replied. _'Shh.'_

Martha and Jack both eyed the new Doctor, and had some similar thoughts running through them. While Jack's were lurid, Martha's were speculative. Martha still didn't notice Danielle staring at her. Sarah Jane simply didn't know what to think at this point.

"Stand witness, Time Lord," Davros said, sitting tall and proud. "Stand witness, Humans. Your strategies have failed; Your weapons are useless; And the end of the universe has come."

* * *

As the countdown neared completion, Rose and the Doctor grabbed a hold of each other mentally, with promises and vows slipping between them.

"Adeola Oshodi?" Danielle whispered to Martha.

The quiet question took Martha by surprise, and she looked to the young woman with a shake of the head. "My late cousin. I'm Dr. Martha Jones," she introduced herself.

"Oh," Danielle said softly, disappointed. "Danielle Smith. You look just like mum."

Shocked, Martha saw the outright disappointment on her face, and was about to comfort her when she realized that the countdown had gotten under twenty. Her left hand reached over to her, and Danielle grasped it tightly.

The countdown reached zero, and alarms sounded as the sounds of build up died away. A voice brought everyone's attention to the vacant console in the middle of the room.

"Aaaand, closing all Z-Neutrino relay loops with an internalised synchronous back-feed reversal loop," Donna looked down. "Oh yes, that button there!" She stabbed the button in question.

Over the loudspeakers, various Dalek voices could be heard. "SYSTEM IN SHUTDOWN!"

"DETONATION NEGATIVE!"

"What is happening?" the deeper voice growled in something resembling panic. "Explain! Explain! EXPLAIN!"

The Doctor stared at Donna with a touch of awe on his face. "Donna? But you can't even change a plug!"

"D'you wanna _bet_, Time Boy?" Donna said with a laughing grin on her face.

Davros wheeled forward. "You will suffer for this!" He raised his hand again, and shocks went up his own arm instead of outward to hit Donna, causing him to scream in pain.

Donna stared at him with mock pity. "Ohhhh, a bio-electric dampening field with a retrogressive arc inversion?" She grinned again. "Done that! Next?"

"Exterminate her!" Davros shouted in a panic.

The three Daleks that were guarding the others turned around. Donna simply arched a brow as her hands danced over the over-large keyboard toggle keys on the console.

The sounds of clicking caused the three Daleks to turn their eyestalks down to stare at their weapons, puzzled. "WEAPONS NONFUNCTIONAL!" one of them exclaimed.

"What," Donna said tauntingly. "Macro transmission of an K-filter wavelength blocking Dalek weaponry in a self-replicating energy blindfold matrix?" She smiled wide. "Come on! Give me something difficult!"

While Rose was smiling wide with her arms crossed, the Doctor was completely beside himself. "But! How did you work _that_ out? You, you, you're..."

"Time Lord," the other Doctor said smugly. "Part Time Lord."

"Part Human!" Donna shouted. "Oh yes! That was a two-way biological metacrisis: Half Doctor; Half Donna!"

The others got to their feet with Jack's help, all confused at what was happening. Rose, grinning her face off, stared at Donna. _'I can hear you,'_ she thought to her. Donna grinned back and winked at her.

The Doctor stood there, stunned and happy all at once. "The DoctorDonna, just like the Ood said remember? They saw it coming: The DoctorDonna."

Donna smiled at him, then tapped out another sequence shutting down the force cages. "Holding cells deactivated." She looked up at them. "Well, don't just stand there you skinny boys in suits! Get to work!"

Both Doctors shot forward and manned the other two stations at the console. Rose on the other hand, stepped over to Danielle and sucker punched her shoulder. "What did I tell you about wandering off?"

"Ow!" Danielle complained.

The Doctor looked over and smirked. "Doesn't work. I mean, look at _you_." He barely controlled the laugh that bubbled up, when she stuck her tongue out at him in annoyance.

"Stop them!" Davros shouted. The three Daleks turned about and extended their plungers.

Donna smirked. "Oh, I like _this_ one. Watch this." She flicked two controls, and the three Daleks stuttered to a stop, croaking, squawking, jerking their short appendages about awkwardly as if they were being electrocuted.

"Annnnd _spin_," Donna said, turning a control. The three Daleks started turning in place. "Annnnd the other way," she said as she turned the dial the opposite direction.

One of the Daleks started whimpering. "Help me. Help me," which caused Jack and Rose to start laughing.

"What did you do?" the Doctor said. The other Doctor looked smug, nodding approvingly.

Donna grinned. "Used the biofeedback shielding to exacerbate the Dalekenium interface, thus inculcating a trip-stitch circuit-breaker in the psychokinetic threshold manipulator!"

"Brilliant," the other Doctor said admiringly. "Couldn't have done it better myself."

"That..." the Doctor stuttered. "That's BRILLIANT!" He looked over to the other Doctor. "Why didn't we think of that?"

The other Doctor arched his brow. "Leave me out of this, mate. I know what she did. You're just a Time Lord."

"Exactly!" Donna said. "Lacking that little bit of Human, that _gut instinct_ that comes hand-in-hand with Planet Earth we can think of ideas _you_ wouldn't dream up in a million years! Oh, the universe has been waiting for us! Now let's send that trip-stitch all over the ship!"

"Did we ever tell you?" the other Doctor said, as his hands paused over his controls.

"Best temp in Chiswick?" Donna said.

"Two hundred words per minute!" they both shouted, before running their fingers all over the controls rapidly. The Doctor looked back and forth between them and started laughing riotously.

* * *

All over the station, Daleks were quivering in place and shouting complaints. Spinning on the floor; Falling out of their hovering places; It's absolute chaos.

"SYSTEM MALFUNCTION!"

"OUT OF CONTROL!"

"MOTOR CASING INTERFERENCE!"

A red Dalek is shuddering back and forth on a raised pedestal. "What is happening? Explaaaaiiinnnnn!"

* * *

Laughing his head off, Jack ran into the TARDIS to grab some weapons. Donna and the second Doctor are coordinating their typing endeavours.

"Come on!" Donna said. "We've got twenty seven planets to send home!"

"Activate Magnetron!" the other Doctor shouted.

All three of them coordinate their efforts on the console, with only the Doctor a touch behind them but still fast.

Davros rolled forward. "Stop this at once!"

Danielle ran over and pulled her gun with her left hand. She planted it in the middle of Davros' forehead, which coincidentally was where his artificial eye was. "Try it!" she shouted. "Blind you, and have a new marble for my collection!" Her glare is absolute, and she appeared to be just waiting for an excuse.

Coming out of the TARDIS, Jack is carrying that defabricator gun he hobbled together quite a while back, and Rose's rather large rifle. "Rose!" he shouts, tossing it at her.

Jack kicked one Dalek out of the way while Sarah Jane does the same to another. She hip checked Rose when she came back. "Good to see you again. I hear you've been busy?"

"Yeah," Rose grinned, cocking her rifle. "Tin Man's got nothin' on me. Good to see you too."

"Ready?" the Doctor asks.

Donna and the other Doctor look at him. "Ready!"

Donna is wide eyed and giddy at this point. "Annnd... Reverse!"

"Off you go, Clom," the Doctor said with a smirk.

The other Doctor is all grins. "Back home, Adipose III!"

"Shallacatop, Pyrovillia and the Lost Moon of Poosh," Donna said loudly. "Sorted!"

"HAH!" the other Doctor shouts gleefully.

Sarah Jane went over to them. "Uhm. Pardon me, but could someone explain exactly what's happening?"

Donna eyed the other two, and split her focus as her hands are still in a whirl. "_He_ poured all his regeneration energy into his spare hand, I touched the hand, and he grew out of that.

"But! That also fed back into me! It just stayed dormant in my head till the synapses got that extra little spark, kicking them into life. Thank you, Davros!" Donna shouted. "Part Human, part Time Lord, and I got the best bit of the Doctor I got his mind!"

"So there's _three_ of you?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Three Doctors?" Jack exclaimed in shock. "Oh, I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now."

Martha went to stand next to the Doctor in blue, thumbing to him. "He's like Jenny?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, no. _These two_ are an Event! Brand new creation!" He stared at Donna in admiration. "The Time Lines were converging on you. Human Being with a Time Lord Brain."

Davros was beyond upset. "But you promised me! Caan! Why did you not foresee this?" The only response to that was Caan giggling even louder, turning into cackling.

"Ohh, I think he did," the other Doctor said with a grin.

"Something's been manipulating the Time Lines for ages," the Doctor said, nodding.

Donna grinned. "Got me to the right spot."

Caan's laughter ceased, and he actually sounded coherent. "This would always have happened. I only helped, Doctors."

Davros, unwilling to turn for the fear of a bullet from Danielle's gun, was appalled. "You _betrayed_ the Daleks!"

"I _saw_ the Daleks!" Caan countered. "What we have done throughout Time And Space. I saw the _Truth_ of us, Creator, and I decreed: _No More_!"

"Head's up!" Jack shouted.

"Davros!" the descending red Dalek called out. "You have betrayed us!"

Rose looked up and scowled. Bringing her rifle to bear, she shot the commanding Dalek out of the air. "Oh shut up," she glowered at the falling chassis and metal bits. It didn't even scream.

"Nice shot," Jack praised, getting a grin out of Rose.

"THAT'S IT!" the Doctor shouted. "They're all home! Everyone in the TARDIS!"

"Suppose I should thank you," Danielle said quietly to Davros.

"And why is that, child?" he asked.

"If it wasn't for your creations, my mother never would've met my father," she grinned at him coldly. "So, thanks for giving me a chance to be born, I guess."

He looked startled.

"Danielle!" Rose shouted. "Inside!"

Backing away from Davros, Danielle kept her gun trained on him.

With the others inside, Rose watched Donna and the other Doctor locking the console.

"The prophecy must complete," Caan said.

Davros swivelled and rolled forward. "Don't listen to him!"

Thinking he was about to shoot someone with his hand again, Danielle's gun went off causing Davros' artificial eye to explode. He fell back screaming. Donna, Rose and the other Doctor whipped their heads around to stare at Danielle in shock.

"He moved," Danielle breathed, shaking her head and starting to shake at what she did.

"I have seen the end of everything Dalek," Caan said, interrupting them. "You must make it happen Doctors!"

Donna and the other Doctor stared at each other, while Rose guided a stunned Danielle back into the TARDIS. "He's right," Donna said.

"With or without the Reality Bomb," the other Doctor said quietly, "this fleet is big enough to slaughter the entire cosmos."

Nodding grimly at each other, Donna and the Doctor typed out one last sequence. "Maximising Dalekenium power feeds," Donna said quietly.

"Reversing the power flow," the other Doctor said.

Looking at each other again, they gave each other a single nod. "Blasting them back!" they shouted.

The three Daleks in the room all exploded, and the sounds of screams filled the vault. Ships that were docked with the Crucible detonated, rocking the place.

The Doctor stuck his head out of the TARDIS. "What have you done!"

Donna and the other Doctor stared at him, grim faced. "Fulfilled the prophecy," they stated flatly.

Donna left the console and forced the Doctor back into the TARDIS. The other Doctor looked at Davros sadly.

"YOU DID THIS!" Davros shouted blindly. "Never forget, Doctor. I name you," he threw his arm about wildly as he tried to point at him. "Forever! You! Are the Destroyer of Worlds!"

"Get some new material," the new Doctor said, causing Davros to turn to face him. "Named me that in the War. Goodbye Davros. Tried to save you _so_ many times, but I think this is a fitting end to your madness: Blind amongst your children. Farewell."

Caan's voice was clear and quiet. "One will still die."

Giving the place a final look, the new Doctor ignored Davros' raving incoherent screams and entered the TARDIS, closing the door behind him with a click.

Doing a head count and nodding, the new Doctor looked at Donna. "Get us out of here." Donna was grim as she went around the console, starting up the ship.

The engines started up, and the TARDIS faded while Davros wailed. Two seconds after the TARDIS left, the Crucible exploded.


	5. Brainstorm

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter Five  
- Brainstorm -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write. _

_Music: Massive Attack Dissolved Girl_

* * *

The Doctor was a bit of an emotional wreck. Both the new Doctor and Donna had just committed _genocide_. The only thing that kept his feet on the ground was Rose hugging him from the side. He did notice that Martha was consoling Danielle from accidentally shooting Davros with a rather large hug.

"Donna?" Rose said quietly, getting her attention. "Lets go get Sarah before we can't."

Nodding with a small smile, Donna gently pushed the other Doctor aside as she went around the console, flipping switches.

"Who's Sarah?" the new Doctor asked, glancing at Sarah Jane in confusion.

The Doctor looked at him. "I think this makes you an uncle."

"You lied!" the new Doctor shouted at Rose in shock. "Well, I can see why. Knowing him, he'd break the universe trying to get back to you. Mind you though, I thought you were sterile?" he said to the Doctor questioningly.

The Doctor shook his head in confusion. "Bad Wolf?"

"Probably," Donna said. "Rose was a busybody that day. Daleks, Jack, rewiring herself and himself to be compatible? Chump change, that."

The new Doctor stared at Rose. "You rewrote yourself?"

"Yeah, I heard about that after throwing the extra into your hand," the Doctor said, hugging Rose. "My Star is now a Time Lady."

Martha stared at Rose in shock.

* * *

The TARDIS materialized on Bad Wolf Bay, in front of a girl who had a rather large back pack on. It was so large, it actually dwarfed her. When the ship arrived with a thunk, she knelt down and pulled a large rolling travel trunk up. She took her mobile out of her coat and thumbed the send button without looking at it.

The message to her uncle simply said, 'Goodbye Uncle Tony. They did it. Love you, Sarah.'

* * *

The time rotor came to a halt, and the both doors opened on their own. The Doctor turned and saw his daughter enter the ship. His smile at the sight of her was painful, it was so big. She was wearing somewhat bulky winter clothing, and she dropped a rolling trunk to the deck, getting everyone else's attention.

Instead of looking at her parents, Sarah took her pack off and locked eyes with Danielle. The blank look on her face cracked into a state of painful sorrow as she shook her head.

"No," Danielle breathed. She glanced at her trunk on the deck, then stared at Sarah. Sarah's face said it all. "No... _please_..." she quietly begged.

Sarah ran over and hugged her. "No!" Danielle shouted and came completely undone. Sarah held on to her while Danielle cried her eyes out.

The Doctor glanced at Rose when he felt her shaking. "Rose?"

"Mickey," Rose whispered. With that, she left the Doctor's arms and joined Sarah and Danielle. Sarah let up long enough for Rose to hold on to Danielle. Together, Rose and Danielle sobbed on each other's shoulders.

"We're in Cardiff," Donna said quietly. "Set the ship to charge." The Doctor nodded and went over to hold onto both Rose and Danielle. There was nothing else to be said really.

Donna lifted a telephone receiver from the console and handed it to Sarah Jane. "Anyone you need to call?"

"Luke," Sarah Jane nodded. "Thank you." She dialled and looked at the group hug. Danielle had told her that Mickey was sick, but she didn't realize just how bad. She wiped her eyes and focussed on the phone. "Luke? It's mum, are you all right? It's over."

Donna pulled her mobile out to contact her mother and grandfather. "Yeah, it's me. Everything's sorted now. See you soon and explain everything. Love you, Gramps." Closing her phone, she was surprised when Jack hugged her from the side.

"You all right?" he asked her.

"I don't know what to think," Donna said truthfully. "I mean, _Mickey_."

"I know," Jack said quietly. Donna looked up at him and saw tears on his face. Impulsively, she pulled him into a proper hug.

The new Doctor caught Martha staring at him. He smiled sadly at her, then surprised her by giving her the once over.

Donna's small shout startled everyone. "Ow!"

"Donna?" Jack said.

She pulled out of the hug and leaned on the console, holding her head with her left hand. "Nothin'. S'nothin'."

The new Doctor left Martha's side to go stand in front of Donna. Taking her shoulders, he bent down to look her in the eye. "Tell me what's happening."

"Spike in my head," Donna complained. "Probably need a lie down brown frown."

The Doctor turned from Rose and Danielle abruptly, then went over to Donna and his other self. "Donna?"

"Nothin'," Donna shook her head. She bent forward and cried out in pain.

"Donna!" both Doctors shouted.

Donna shook her head again. "I'm fine line brine shine."

"Do you know what's happening?" the Doctor asked quietly, his mind racing.

"Yeah," Donna said with a look of dread on her face.

"Pay attention," a new voice said. The Doctors turned to look at Sarah. "The ship is telling you both to look up."

Staring at each other briefly, both Doctors turned their heads up and saw the Chameleon Arch hanging overhead.

"Right!" the new Doctor shouted running around the console to the keyboard. "Reversing the sequence and voiding the need for the fob watch!"

"Wait!" the Doctor shouted. "Donna? Is this what you want?"

While Donna nodded weakly, the other Doctor scowled. "Of _course_ this is what she wants! I know everything she does, and she would rather _die_ than forget, you git!"

"What's happening?" Jack asked.

The new Doctor talked while his fingers flew over the keyboard. "Time Lord consciousness in a Human Brain. Donna's overloading, so we're going to give her head the room it needs to survive."

Martha, realizing what was happening, put her hands over her mouth. "Oh my _God_."

"Don't worry Martha," the new Doctor said. "Not locking anything up, just changing her biology about."

Rose left Danielle with Sarah, and went to the Doctor and Donna. "Is this what you want Donna? Really?"

"Bless guess _YES_!" Donna shouted in frustration while nodding her head.

"Martha, help me," the Doctor said as the Arch descended.

Letting Rose help hold Donna up, the Doctor mentally told her what was going to happen while he and Martha placed the headpiece over Donna's head.

"All right everyone," the new Doctor said as he finished up his adjustments to the program. "This will be _loud_, scary, and will most likely turn your stomach. What we're doing is changing Donna's biology from Human/Quasi Time Lord to _Full_ Time Lord. Rather than take the knowledge she received from the metacrisis, we're enabling her brain to hold everything its been given.

"All we ask of each of you is to not interfere in any way. No one can touch her while this is going on, or you'll receive a huge jolt. _Don't_ recommend it." He paused long enough to see how Donna's preparation was going.

"Lean her against the railing," the Doctor said to Rose. "Everyone please back away."

"Donna?" the new Doctor said. "Say when!"

"Row cow _NOW_!" Donna shouted.

The new Doctor hit the activation sequence, and Donna immediately started screaming. Her hands shot up to grasp the headpiece firmly as she started to convulse.

Sarah and Danielle held on to each other and stared at Donna in horror. Rose hid herself in the Doctor's arms. Jack pulled Sarah Jane into a hug. Surprisingly, Martha ran over and ploughed into the new Doctor. He responded by holding his hands over her ears.

For the Doctor, the new Doctor and Martha, it lasted not near as long as when it happened in 1913. For everyone else though, it seemed to drag on and on. Donna's screams were shrill, and horrified everyone.

Once it was over, the Doctor and Rose caught Donna before she hit the deck. Still holding a trembling Martha, the new Doctor looked over. "Jack, mind giving them a hand and help Donna to her room?"

Once the Doctor, Rose and Jack carried Donna out of the console room, Sarah saw that Martha hadn't let go of the duplicate of her father. Soft arms came around her and Danielle, and she saw her namesake.

"You two all right?" Sarah Jane asked them.

"Yeah," Sarah said. "Dannie?"

"That was horrid," Danielle said softly. "Will she be all right now? I mean, what?"

"Should be," Sarah said. "Tell you what though," she whispered conspiratorially, "something tells me that dad's duplicate might have a thing for Martha."

Sarah Jane chuckled when the new Doctor glared at them over Martha's head. "Maybe," she whispered back. "Time will tell. Danielle? Want a spot of tea?"

"What's that?" Danielle asked.

Eyebrows up, Sarah Jane scooted them towards the inner door. "Oh, we need to educate you."

"You know," Sarah said, "that drink that mum and grammie always complained about not having."

Their talking died away as they left the room, and Martha finally looked up at the new Doctor. "Thanks."

"No problem," he answered with a small grin. "Kinda nice, actually. I mean, other than the reason for it, that is."

Martha saw the new Doctor's ears turn a shade of pink, and bit her lip. "A bit, yeah."

"Want some tea?" he asked her. "Think Sarah Jane is going to do her special in the kitchen."

Martha ducked back down and just enjoyed the hug. "Yeah. Will Donna be all right?"

"Should be," he said. "Will most likely be out of it for a while as she acclimates."

"You're still hugging me," Martha said quietly.

The new Doctor grinned. "So are you."

"'S nice," she murmured.

"Yeah. Couldn't help noticing that your left hand is bare of jewellery. Is it too soon to ask what happened?"

Martha shrugged and tucked her head under his chin. "Tom didn't go for long distance relationships. I was assigned to the UNIT base in New York, and he didn't come with. Ended up going to Africa himself, with Doctors Without Borders."

"Sorry," he rubbed her back. "Actually... I'm _not_, really."

"Oh? Why's that?" she asked with a hint of warning to her voice.

He smirked. "Don't have a reason to feel guilty about hugging you now."

Stunned, Martha started giggling with wide eyes.

* * *

The Doctor and Rose were sitting on opposite sides of Donna's bed, with Donna lying between them. Rose was checking her temperature with a hand on her forehead, while the Doctor had his stethoscope out, monitoring Donna's chest.

"How's she doing?" Jack asked from the foot of the bed.

"Most likely be up and about tomorrow," the Doctor said. "Both of her hearts are pumping strongly."

"She doesn't feel warm to me," Rose said. "Feels like Sarah does. That mean her temperature is normal for us?"

The Doctor fished his sonic screwdriver out and scanned Donna with it. Checking the results, he nodded. "Seventy four point eight. A touch hot, but that's understandable."

Donna groaned a bit, and a bright swirl of golden particles came out of her mouth.

"Looks familiar," Rose said with an arched brow.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. She'll be out for hours. Let's leave her to it. Donna doesn't like people watching her."

"Tried that, did ya?" Rose asked with a smirk.

The Doctor grinned. "She threw a pillow at me." He looked up and sent a query to the ship. "Sarah Jane's making tea. Fancy a cup?"

"Oh God, yes," Rose said, standing up. "They didn't have tea over there."

"You're kidding," Jack said, getting out of her way.

"Really?" the Doctor said, following her out. "That's just _wrong_."


	6. Decisions

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter Six  
- Decisions -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write. _

_Music: Muse & Pink Floyd - Map of Hopes_

* * *

Anticipating the needs of her passengers, the TARDIS reconfigured the kitchen to accommodate the larger amount she was currently carrying. Sure it was temporary, but she kept the plans of it for the future. As it was, the relatively small kitchen (or galley) had enlarged to twice the size. Most of that was taken up by a rather long dining table, surrounded by somewhat comfortable, upholstered wooden chairs. Mahogany, the sitting matched the new wooden panelling of that half of the room. It was more cosy than opulent, though.

As for the cooking area, the small flat version had expanded – mostly with the counter space and cabinets. The modern appearing appliances were early twenty first century equivalents, and Sarah Jane was carrying the tea service from the kitchen area to the dining table.

Setting the service down in front of the girls, Sarah Jane poured the tea without saying a word. Danielle was wavering between calm and blubbering, and she didn't want to add to the trouble by talking.

Watching them as she set their cups in front each girl, Sarah Jane could see that they were very close. Sarah had her chair butted next to Danielle's, and had her head on her shoulder in a sideways hug. Every now and then, Sarah would wipe Danielle's eyes with a tissue.

Noting the scent of the tea, Sarah took Danielle's cup and blew across it before offering it to her. "Smells good," she commented. "Try some?"

Danielle lifted her head and allowed Sarah to put the cup to her lips. Taking a tentative sip, her brow arched. "That's good," she whispered.

Sarah Jane smiled. "Good. I'm glad you like it," she said quietly.

The Doctor and Rose paused at the door, to simply watch what was going on. Sarah surprised the Doctor when she glanced up. _'Hi Daddy,'_ she thought to him.

Forcing himself to control the urge to run around the table and snatch her up in a hug, the Doctor grinned. _'Hello, my darling. It is so good to see you. Is she all right?'_

_'She's in shock,'_ Sarah said.

_'Did he suffer?' _Rose asked.

Sarah's pensive smile faded. _'A bit. We kept him as comfortable as we could. I ended up blocking the pain for him, just so he could sleep.'_

_'What was it?'_ the Doctor asked.

Rose looked up at him. _'Cancer.'_

_'Damn,'_ the Doctor closed his eyes in pain. Of all the things that he imagined, that was the worse case scenario. _'Mind if we sit with you?'_

"Sure," Sarah said aloud, startling the other two.

"Have enough tea for us?" Rose asked. Sarah Jane nodded, and Rose headed for the cupboards while the Doctor sat across from Sarah.

_'When we have the chance, you're getting a rather large hug,'_ the Doctor thought to Sarah, making her smile. She reached across the table and threaded her fingers through his.

"Wasn't Jack behind us?" Rose asked as she returned to the table with two more cups.

* * *

After Rose and the Doctor left the room, Jack paused to look at Donna. Concern and pride were warring in his head. Even though they said she would be all right, Jack stepped over to sit next to Donna on the bed. "You did good."

Honestly, this felt like sitting with a comatose patient. It's been said that they could hear you, though. Shrugging, Jack leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Seriously, you did real good. Not really sure what we would've done without you. I know you're a Time Lord… Lady, or something now, but if you ever need a job…"

"Hush," Donna whispered as one eye opened lazily. "I need the rest, and your nattering is counter productive," she complained with a bit of a scowl.

Chuckling, Jack bent down and kissed her forehead again. "Sorry. You just impressed the hell out of me. I'll leave you alone."

He made to stand, but Donna reached up to grab his arm. "Thanks. Will probably deny this later – _if I have any sense_ – but you are the most gorgeous man I've ever laid eyes on."

Brow up with a large smile, Jack chuckled. "Thanks."

"Get out of here before I abuse you the way you like it," Donna somewhat slurred as her eyes closed.

Snickering, Jack moved Donna's arm back to rest on her stomach, and stood up. "I'll take that under advisement," he whispered. Seeing the twitch of a smile on her face, Jack shook his head and headed for the door. "G'night, Donna."

"Night, pretty boy," Donna murmured.

Dimming the lights, Jack closed the door with a full smirk on his face. Pausing for a moment, he realized he lost track of the others. "Tea… that means the galley, right?" Looking up speculatively, he grinned when the overhead lighting flickered to his right. "Thanks."

* * *

He was almost to the galley when he heard Rose's question, "Wasn't Jack behind us?"

"I'm here," Jack said, coming into the galley. "Just tucked Donna in to make sure she was comfortable. Listen, we're at the Plass, right?" Seeing the Doctor's nod, he nodded back. "I need to check on my team. Don't go anywhere. If anything, all of you need some downtime."

"We wont disappear on you, I promise," Rose said with a bit of a nudge to the Doctor's ribs. "I can understand why he did that last time, though. It's really… _odd_… being near you."

Jack frowned. "You're going to have to explain that. He tried, but I still don't understand it."

"I'll do what I can," Rose said. "Go check your people. Hope they're all right."

Jack nodded. "Back in an hour or two," he said before ducking back out of the room.

* * *

In the console room, the other Doctor and Martha were still holding on to each other. After his admission, they both fell quiet and simply held each other close.

It was a bit later when he spoke up again. "I need your advice," he said quietly.

Pulling back a bit, Martha kept her hands on his waist and felt his hands take a hold of her forearms. "What's wrong?" Seeing where his attention was, she turned her head and looked up at the Arch briefly, then back to him.

He inhaled, then sighed. "This body, despite having both the Doctor and Donna's memories, only has one heart; one life; and even still… I'm stuck in whether or not I want to rectify the problem."

"Why wouldn't you?" she asked. "I mean, I know that thing is ungodly painful, but isn't it worth it?"

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug. "Even now, I'm coming to understand what's wrong with me." He looked down to her concerned face. "I seem to have lost three of my senses, and… _well_… it's got me a bit off my nut at the moment."

"_Three_ senses?" Martha asked. "Just how many are you supposed to have?"

He smirked. "Eight. Other than the five you're used to, there's the proverbial sixth that Earth scientists and pseudo-scientists speculate on. Instead of some sort of precognitive ability, it's more along the lines of a hyper spatial awareness. It can seem precognitive or even downright spooky, but it's something that helps me know where things are in relation to myself."

Brow creased, Martha sort of understood that and nodded. "Okay, what about the other two?"

"Those are easier to describe," he said with a grin. "The seventh is outright telepathy with others who are also telepathic, like the TARDIS, but the eighth is what's most disturbing to me with its absence."

There was a pause, and Martha waited. Her right hand came up to rub his shoulder all on its own in encouragement.

He looked her in the eye. "I can't see time any more," he whispered, "and it's scaring the _hell_ out of me."

She almost called him 'Doctor', but the sound caught in her throat and ended up sounding like 'Don' instead. "What's stopping you, then?"

He blinked, kind of liking what she didn't call him. "Well… Along with the longer lifespan and everything, there's a significant downside to it all. There aren't many species as long lived."

Martha's eyes widened when his thumb ran over her cheek. Suddenly, everything about the Doctor made sense all at once. Why he never returned affection or opened himself up became _so_ clear, that it nearly gave her a headache. He was lonely, and afraid of losing people he cared about.

Then there was this man in front of her, looking like him, acting like him… well, acting like Donna too, but that was neither here nor there. This man was hours old, and he was just as lonely. But even still, he was in even _more_ pain than the Doctor. Martha didn't have the first clue as to how those other senses worked, but she imagined it as if she were deaf and blind.

Swallowing, she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "You're in pain. Don't think about potential relationships while you're in pain. From what you just described to me, it's like you're Helen Keller with a chance at sight and sound. I know the downside of going through with it, but…" she paused and tilted her head. "Don't put yourself through pain on account of me. I wont stand for it."

She reached up and cupped his cheek. "Do it. Worry about the other later, okay?"

"I wont put you through that again," he said under his breath.

"Heard it before, both with the Doctor and Donna…"

"That's not what I meant," he said a bit louder.

She smiled. "I know. Go on. Do your thing."

"I still don't want you having to watch that by yourself, and I don't want to disturb the others."

"Disturb me then," Jack said from the inner doorway. He smirked when they turned to look at him. "You two are too cute. I wasn't even trying to be quiet, and you were both oblivious."

"Yes, make the situation even more difficult, you walking hormone," the other Doctor snapped in complete annoyance. "That's the one thing I really can't stand about you. You go around, shagging anything and everything that thinks you're pretty, and think that everyone has the same opinion on relationships as you do. We don't. I'm barely two hours old, and don't think like that. So, please do us all a favour and button it."

Jack didn't know what was more disturbing, the fact that he was just as quiet as the Doctor when he was angry, or the Chiswick accent he was sporting. At any rate, he held up his hands. "Sorry. Really, I'm sorry. It's a habit. Did you need some help with that headset?"

The new Doctor blew out his breath and realized that Martha, even though she moved away, had a hold of his left hand. "I think I need moral support, more than anything else. Everything all right with Donna?"

Jack nodded and stepped over to them. "Yeah. We got her down in her room, sleeping it off. She's one of a kind."

The new Doctor glared at him. "_Mind_ that, if you please. I know you're a good man, but she has her sights on church bells. Your idea of a relationship would hurt her, and even though you're immortal… If you hurt her, I'll drop you in the sun."

Jack's head went back, and Martha marvelled at his protective streak. "You know, I would've thought she would solve that whole lonely eternity that you're wrestling with."

His face twisted up in disgust. "Eugh! That's like you dating Leo!"

Jack laughed when Martha blinked. "Yeah. Never mind. Sorry. Didn't think of it like that. Ew."

"Twins," he said. "_Well_, triplets I guess."

"I don't know how to set that thing up," Jack interrupted, being nice for once and changing the subject. "And, I wont treat her like that, if it ever happens. Currently dating someone else, so it's academic anyway."

"Good." With that, he nudged Martha to the side and went back to the keyboard. Noting that the program was still active, it took a small adjustment to settle it for him. "Okay. Now that I'm satisfied that I wont end up a _girl_… Uhm."

Seeing the pensive look on his face, Martha hugged him again. "We'll catch you."

The new Doctor closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. "Thanks." After a bit, he shook his head. "I can't look. Can you two put me under it and set it on my head, please?"

Keeping his eyes closed, he let Martha and Jack guide him to the side. Feeling the Arch being set on his head, he inhaled sharply. "All you have to do is hit enter on the keyboard." To keep his hands from shaking, he grabbed the sides of the thing. "Ready when you are." He felt Martha kiss his cheek, then Jack kissed the other one.

There was the sounds of feet on the deck, and Jack spoke up. "Three… Two… One."

His entire world erupted in agony, and his teeth were clenched against the scream that was threatening to erupt. It didn't last long, and he felt his throat go raw as it let go.

* * *

In the kitchen, Rose, Sarah, and the Doctor sat up straight. "What's wrong?" Sarah Jane asked them.

"You two stay here for her," the Doctor said. "The other me is going through the Arch." Not noticing the gasps from Danielle and Sarah Jane, he bolted from the room.


	7. Bound

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter Seven  
- Bound -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write. _

_Music: Daft Punk ft. Lady Gaga - Human After All Mash Up (TheEthiopianDJ)_

_BTW: If you want to know what Sarah looks like, go take a gander at Emma Watson with short and tossed hair. =) _

_(still don't know who should be playing Danielle)_

* * *

The Doctor was kicking himself as he ran towards the console room. _'Of course he'd go through with it,'_ he chided bitterly. '_There's no telling what alterations he went through just to be born.'_

_'Don't be hard on him,'_ Rose thought to him. _'If he's been deprived of telepathy or anything he would be used to…'_

Their internal discussion was interrupted as the new Doctor's mental presence became known. It started soft, but rapidly increased in volume to match the screaming of his voice. _'Settles that. It's working,'_ the Doctor commented.

* * *

Rose hopped the table, when Sarah recoiled and slammed her hands on her head in a grunt of pain. Somehow, this was worse than with Donna. Pulling her close, Rose helped shield her daughter's mind. "Easy, baby. I've got you."

Seeing Sarah Jane and Danielle's confusion, she explained. "The other Doctor just got his telepathy and we can hear him screaming in our heads." Blinking rapidly, Rose ignored the tears that fell. His mind was different from the Doctor. It was strange, but it was a near mirror for Donna's, but still different somehow. Hers was quiet, but his was so _loud_.

* * *

Hearing the stamping of feet approaching, Jack turned from Martha to catch the Doctor. "Wait, stop! He's not done yet!" Seeing the Doctor gritting his teeth, Martha held on to him as well.

This was a completely new experience for the Doctor, and he _hated_ it. Unlike Donna's run with the Arch, his other self bypassed all of his mental shields as if they weren't there. It wasn't as bad as he remembered going through the thing himself, but it was right up there as a close second. The lack of a name to call him frustrated him immensely, and all he could do was gape, grit his teeth, and vibrate from the pain.

Feeling it lessen, the Doctor grunted through his teeth. "Catch him." It was difficult, but he forced himself to stand still.

Turning from one to the other, Martha and Jack caught the new Doctor as he fell with a moaning gust of breath.

Shaking his head to clear it, the Doctor stepped to the console to check the settings of the Chameleon Arch. Nodding at what he found, he turned and knelt in front of the others. Lifting his other self's head, he saw him blinking in a daze. "You all right?"

"That fuckin' hurt like hell!" the new Doctor blurted, then winced from his own outburst. Feeling who was who with his arms, he tilted his head to the right and let it rest on Martha's shoulder. "Thanksh for catchin' me," he rasped and panted.

"Don't mention it," Martha replied, then looked to the Doctor. "You all right? That looked like it hurt _you_ as much as him."

"What?" the new Doctor looked up into the Doctor's eyes. "Really? Oh, I'm _sho_ shorry. I had no idea," he slurred.

"It's all right," the Doctor said quietly, patting him on the side of the head. "You didn't know. But, aside from all of that. Why did you go through this?"

"You _are_ kidding, right?" his other self said. "I losht shenses shix through eight with that messh, and can we talk about thish later?" he whined. "My head ish on fire, and I feel like I'm going to drop out at any shecond. Up, pleashe."

They helped him to his feet, then caught him as he staggered. "Who shet the ship to shea, anyway? Deck'sh all wibbly."

"Somehow, I think that's you," Jack said with a chuckle, causing the other two to grin.

He turned his head to stare at Jack. "Be one with yourshelf. Two of you is just _ashking_ for trouble." Turning his head the other way with a wobble, he grinned at Martha. "My _God_, you're gorgeoush!"

With that, his eyes rolled back as he passed out. Jack and the Doctor caught him, while Martha just stood there with her mouth open, shocked at such a thing. "Did he just say that?"

"Think he's got a crush," Jack said with a grin. "He's got good taste too."

"Mmm. Yes, well. Let's get him into a room, shall we?" the Doctor said, now completely uncomfortable. _'Sarah? You all right?'_

_'Yes. Mum helped,'_ she replied. _'Is he okay?'_

_'He babbled for a bit and complemented Martha on her appearance, before dropping out,'_ he thought back with a bit of a mental chuckle. _'Not sure if I should be worried about that or not.'_

_'Watched them for a bit. I think they like each other,' _Sarah replied.

_'Really?' _Rose asked. _'You sure you didn't do anything with her, Doctor?'_ she teased.

_'Besides frustrating her to death?'_ the Doctor said with a chuckle, eyeing the woman in question as she helped in carrying him. _'Not bloody likely. Hers was unrequited, I'm not so sad to say. Wish she didn't feel that way, but here we are.'_

_'If he doesn't ask her to stay on, you better,'_ Rose said. _'If you could _see_ the look on Sarah's face right now…'_

_'I know she's not her, but she looks exactly like Danielle's mum,'_ Sarah added.

_'Let's take this one step at a time, shall we?' _the Doctor said diplomatically. _'Not saying I'm against it, because she's completely brilliant, but we need to step lightly. She looks skittish, and I'm hardly surprised. Just glanced at her hand, and that engagement ring she had is absent. Might be recent, so no bullying her into anything. Has to be her choice.'_

* * *

The three of them got the new Doctor into a room that happened to be next door to Donna's. The Doctor wasn't sure, but he wouldn't put it past the ship in having a sense of humour in the matter. As it was, the new room reminded him of his own, only with a bit more of an industrial feel than classic. Wrought iron framed furniture were in the same places as his own, and the layout was identical. Other than the iron and wood, the colours ran towards the blue end of the spectrum instead of the red in his.

After they got him into bed, they gave the place the once over. Martha nodded approvingly. "Kinda like this. Something about the black iron really goes well with the wood. You know?"

Jack grinned at the Doctor's arched brow at her, but kept his mouth shut. He had a feeling the ship was being crafty, but didn't voice his suspicions. "Okay, I _really_ need to check on Gwen and Ianto. Catch you later." He gave them a small salute and left.

At the door, Martha stopped the Doctor and looked back at his double. "Something's different about him."

The Doctor looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I know he's got both yours and Donna's memories, but there's something else about him," she mused. "It's almost a sort of _innocence_ about him."

"I suppose," he said, tilting his head back and forth. "He _is_ only a few hours old, you know."

"I know that," Martha said dismissively. "But he was really scared."

"Of what?" he asked her, honestly curious.

She looked up at him. "Being alone."

The Doctor's eyes widened, and he looked to his counterpart, frowning. "He'll _never_ be alone."

"You are not alone," Martha whispered. "Could this be what the Face of Boe meant? Him, Donna, Rose?"

"And our daughter," he added with a grin.

Martha looked up at him in surprise. "The girl we picked up is your _daughter_?" At his nod, she smiled out of one side of her mouth and tapped his arm. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," he smiled. "Tea?"

She nodded rapidly. "Yes, please."

After they left, the other Doctor rolled over to his side and blew golden particles out of his mouth.

* * *

The evening was a mix of happy and sad, with exhaustion running through everyone. Martha wasn't surprised, _from what Danielle said who her mother was_, when the girl ran over to her in a sobbing mess as soon as she entered the kitchen. Jack came back that evening and checked on the double and Donna, before locating the others in the media room.

Sarah got the hug her father promised after Danielle settled down for a bit. It was everything she wished for, as he literally radiated calm. He tried to apologize for not being there, but she and Rose both shushed him over it.

After a small dinner of snacks, everyone turned in.

* * *

The Doctor, jacket and tie off, turned around to see Rose at the door of the bedroom. The sight of her made his hearts clench. "They settled?" he asked with a soft smile.

She nodded and simply looked at him, shutting the door behind her. There was an awkward moment while she removed her blue bomber. She kept her eyes on him though, even as she dropped it on the floor, then rushed him. Colliding into a hug, Rose was a mess of tears. "Oh my _God_, I missed you!" she shouted.

The Doctor bore her weight gladly. Like so many times before, he lightly swung her back and forth – relishing her presence. After a bit of that, he whispered. "I nearly died when you fell."

Leaning her head back sharply, Rose saw that he was crying as much as she was. "It wasn't your fault," she whispered. "I'm just so damned _clumsy_."

He chuckled half heartedly. "It wasn't _your_ fault either. If you hadn't locked the lever, Daleks and Cybermen would have decimated the planet." He paused to swallow. "I am so _proud_ of you. I just wish we hadn't been steeped in void stuff. There was no way you could've held on. If I had been thinking clearly, I would've set up a belt or something to keep you in place. Actually, that's a rather _good_ idea. Get one of those child tether leashes I've seen and tie you to me permanently."

Rose cracked a watery smile. "You're a mess," she giggled. "But, your _my_ mess." She held him tighter and buried her head in the crook of his neck. "You said yes, by the way," she murmured.

"I did, didn't I?" he grinned. Blinking away his tears, he rested his cheek against hers. "I don't think I can wait for formalities. Would you mind the actual right now? We can always do the pomp and circumstance later."

"I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I like the way you think," she mused wryly.

He giggled. "Normally, there's a pledge of vows…"

"I seem to remember doing that in the Vault," she interrupted.

"So we did," he smirked. "After the ceremony though, there's a part where we literally bind ourselves to each other."

"Didn't realize you were into S&M," she quipped.

"Stop it," he chuckled. "No. What I meant was binding our minds together."

Rose reared back with large eyes. "That's possible?"

Nodding, he smiled. "That's how my… _our_ people get married, Rose. Like the Catholics though, there's no possibility of divorce. We will literally be two halves of the whole. Inseparable even through time and space, we will be able to mentally talk to each other without focussing, without even thinking about it. When we keep it open, anything I know, you will know. Anything you know, I will know. Drawbacks include food cravings that the other is having, shared pain, and the like.

"But, the reverse is also true. Taking care of each other will be an innate instinct between us, and we will know where the other is at all times. Sounds rather possessive in one context, but we will literally be a part of each other for the rest of our lives."

Rose's eyes widened the more he explained it, and by the time he was finished she had already been nodding for thirty seconds. "Forever, yeah? What do I do?" she whispered.

"I'm going to tell you my name. My _real_ name. Since you're now a Time Lady and you've consented to be my wife, your first instinct will be to tell me _your_ name. However, don't over think it. Just let your mouth work on its own. Might turn out that you have a Gallifreyan name already, and just don't know it."

She tilted her head. "How would that work? I mean, that doesn't make any sense."

He set her back on the floor and kept her close. "I don't know, but all Gallifreyans and Time Lords have their True Name reverberate from their own personal future. Usually happens at what would be construed as birth, but I'm not sure that qualifies now."

Taking that at face value, Rose nodded. "Will you marry me, Doctor?" she softly asked and bit her lip.

Smiling, he nodded. "Yes."

He leaned down to put his mouth to her ear. Rose heard the syllables of his name and had her eyes roll back in her head. A shuddering inhale happened of its own volition as her hands fisted the back of his dress shirt. She felt her mouth move, and something equally as lyrical came out of her.

She didn't notice what she said, as the Doctor's name seared itself into the core of her mind. Immediately, the joined symbols of his name came into her mind's eye – _more real_ than anything she ever saw before.

As with Rose, the Doctor's eyes went back in their sockets when he heard her True Name. His arms closed around her tightly, and they were only able to stand with each other's help.

Without the need to touch each other's contact points, their minds combined and flowed between them. Their memories swirled around them, and they could do nothing but hold each other in rapture.

* * *

Sarah sat up abruptly in bed. "Ooh, I don't need to know that!" she complained.

"What?" Danielle groggily asked from the other side of the bed.

"They just got hitched," she said as she stood up, waving her hands. Moving quickly to the wall, she slapped the coral support. "Oi! They're corrupting the mind of a _child_, here! I don't care _what_ you do, but block me off!" she pleaded.

"OH! I don't need to know that either!" she shrieked. "Brain Bleach! Where's the fucking brain bleach?"

Danielle watched her with a smirking grin on her face. "You all right?"

"NO!" she stomped her bare foot on the carpet.

The room hummed, and Sarah unclenched all of her muscles. "_THANK_ YOU!" Slumping onto the bed, she stared at Danielle. "There are some things that I just don't _want_ to know about," she said with wide eyes.

Danielle simply stared at her. Then her face cracked, and she started giggling like mad.

"Shut up," Sarah scowled at her.


	8. About Last Night

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter Eight  
- About Last Night -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write. _

_Music: Barbatuques - Baianá Cut_

_Note: Double check to see if your comments are going through. Seeing double hits from folks and nothing showing up.  
_

_Also: Sorry this chapter is so short, but the plot is literally writing itself at this point - which is a good thing. Beware... innuendo is out in force here. =)  
_

* * *

Surprising to some, _but not Jack_, the Doctor wasn't up at first light. In fact, by the time he and Rose arrived in the kitchen, the only others that were missing were his double and Donna. Sarah Jane had left the previous night to check on Luke and her other charges.

Coming into the kitchen in their pyjamas and dressing gowns, Rose and the Doctor saw that Martha and Jack were busy cooking breakfast. Rose grinned immediately. "Ohhh, I hope you're doing your flapjacks Jack."

"Thought you'd like that," Jack said over his shoulder. "And hey, I didn't realize the dress code was overnight wear. Where was the memo?" he complained.

The Doctor and Rose noted a rather sullen mood at the table, and were startled at the glower that Sarah was giving them. "You all right, darling?" the Doctor asked her.

"Boundaries!" Sarah shouted, startling everyone except Danielle, who tried not to laugh.

Rose turned her head to look at the Doctor in confusion, and found that he was equally as perplexed. "Swee'hear', what are you on about?" she asked her.

Tilting her head, Sarah glared at her parents and thought to both of them. _'I'm only alive when you're inside me? Really, mum? I know you missed him, but good God!'_

A mortified squeak came out of Rose as she slammed her hands over her mouth, turning a deep scarlet. The Doctor on the other hand, began rubbing at the back of his neck with pursed lips. Martha and Jack both raised their eyebrows at the sight of the Doctor actually flushing as red as Rose did.

"What did you two… _do_?" Jack asked slowly with half a smirk on his face.

Danielle idly ran her finger around the rim of her glass of orange juice. "Some people weren't exactly… _quiet…_ last night," she commented dryly.

"I didn't hear anything," Jack said, sounding disappointed.

Danielle shrugged. "I didn't either, but someone did." She turned her head to look at Sarah, then shook her head.

Martha simply put her hands on her hips and looked at the pair of them with a cocked head and brow, fighting her smile.

"I don't care if you have the TARDIS do it, or do it yourselves," Sarah said quietly, "but if either of you do that to me again, I'm going to repeat everything I hear. The only reason I'm _not_ doing it now is because Jack's in the room. He'll hold that over your heads for _years_."

"Too late for that," Jack grinned.

"I wanna die now," Rose murmured, turning away from everyone.

The Doctor blinked like an owl. "Uhm. Exactly how _much_ did you hear, shining star of my hearts?" The smile on his face was so fake, even K-9 would've noticed.

"You talk too much, dad. That's all I'm gonna say about it," Sarah replied with a shake of the head.

Downgraded from 'daddy' to 'dad', the Doctor pursed his lips. "We didn't intend…"

"I _know_ that!" Sarah snapped at them.

Heading over to the table, Rose gave her daughter a top down hug. "I'm so _sorry_, baby. We'll try to keep it down to a dull roar. Grammie did the same to me, so I know just how you feel."

Sarah held her hand up to block the kiss to the cheek that Rose was about to give her. "Don't. I know where that's been."

Jack's loud laughter finally broke Danielle and Martha's hold on themselves, and they ended up laughing with him.

Mouth open in shock, Rose glared. "Should I tell everyone what I overheard two weeks ago?"

Eyes wide, Sarah glanced at Danielle, who looked just as surprised, then back up at her mum. "You _promised_!" she squeaked.

"Then dial back that cheek!" Rose reprimanded.

Knowing her mum had her over a barrel, Sarah turned her attention back to her glass. "Shutting up now. Sorry mum."

"That's better," Rose said, ruffling Sarah's hair with a smirk.

"Oi, Spaceman, I want a word with you!" Donna's voice pierced the room.

Face twisted into a grimace, the Doctor sighed as his head fell to the side. "Oh, _hell_," murmured. Turning, he saw Donna and his other self glaring at him from the door. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Eyeing everything in the room, Donna settled her stare back on the Doctor. "I take it I don't have to worry about dreaming about Rose any more, _right_?" Seeing his appalled, gobsmacked expression, she started chuckling. "Oh, the _look_ on your face."

"Here now, none of that!" the double said loudly. "Solidarity! We agreed to rake him over the _coals_ on this!"

"I can't help it, spaceboy," Donna said through her chuckles. "This is just too funny!"

Coming into the room, the double stopped in front of the original. "Take them out," he demanded.

"I beg your pardon?" the Doctor asked, completely confused.

"The memories," he elaborated. "I don't want them, and I doubt Rose wants me to have them either. I look at her like a _sister_, so having _that_ memory plus that rather sopping wet dream I had last night? Take them back, before I get a complex," he demanded.

"Goes for me too, spaceman," Donna nodded. "Thought I was batting for the other team when I woke up. Don't need to tell you how disturbing _that_ was."

Rose sat at the table and hid her head in her hands. "Oh, God," she mewled. Sarah took pity on her and rubbed her shoulders.

"There, there, mum," Sarah said quietly. "You had no idea you were on pay per view."

"Not helping," Rose hissed with a snap.

"I dunno," Donna mused. "Think I need to work out more. Didn't realize I wasn't as limber as I thought I was." She smirked when she saw Rose curl into her arms even tighter.

"Impressive, really," the double said casually. "Still though, I want them _gone_."

"Get rid of them, Doctor," Rose demanded in a muffle. "If you ever want that _again_…"

"Right then!" the Doctor said sharply as his fingers landed on his double's temples. After a moment, he let go and went over to Donna to do the same.

"Much better!" the double said, heading over to the pot of tea.

After the Doctor was done with Donna, he accepted the knuckle punch to his shoulder with a grimace. "Sorry about that."

"Just a bit too presumptuous," Donna chided. "Still, I'm glad you two are back together again. Just leave me out of that, _thank_ you so much."

"Daddy?" Sarah said quietly. "Me too? I love you both, but there are some things that I simply don't want to _know_ about."

He went over to the table. "I'm so sorry, my dear. First thing we all need to do is work on our telepathic barriers. Till we master them, I'll have the TARDIS lock down certain areas from the rest of the ship."

His brief contact with his daughter's mind, which was simply to nudge the source of her embarrassment out of there, had him immediately impressed. Her mind was _so_ strong. Blinking, he pulled back and knelt next to her. "Better?"

"Much," she nodded, hugging him.

At the counter, Martha looked the double over with an appraising eye. "So, where'd you get the denim trousers?"

He looked down at himself from his tea prep. While he was still wearing the maroon tee from yesterday, the faded denim was completely unusual. "Found them in the cupboard where I woke up. Nice room, by the way. I'm claiming it." Looking up at Martha, he waved a hand down. "I dunno, what you think? Still a work in progress."

Martha grinned. "Oh, I like it," she murmured.

"I do too," Jack said. "Never saw him dress down and go casual, so that's a nice look."

"Probably need to hit the shops," the double commented. "I _already_ know what's in the wardrobe, and I think I need to do something completely different."

"Shopping?" Martha asked with her brows up. "You?"

"Yeah!" he said with a wide smile. "Can always go for a good sale."

The Doctor grumbled as he went for the tea. "Donna was _such_ a bad influence on you."

"Oi!" Donna complained.

"Oh lighten up," the double chastised. "Besides, I think you owe us after last night."

"I got rid of the offending imagery," the Doctor said primly while he dumped sugar into his tea.

Donna came over and cuffed him on the back of the head. "Oh, shush you. I know you hate dodging people who are after clothes, but how's that different from all the alien bazaars?"

"That's different," Rose said, coming up to hug the Doctor from behind. "He just doesn't like shopping for clothes."

"It's good to see you happy, Rosie," Jack said with a smile. "Still though, I agree. Shopping for clothes got a whole new meaning for me since the Gamestation." He shuddered at that thought.

"Got a decent gun out of that though," the double commented.

"True," Jack grinned. "All right, everyone to the table. Breakfast is ready." Carrying plates of food, he got Donna's attention with a grin. "Gorgeous, huh?"

"Oh, shut it pretty boy," Donna flushed. "You'll get a big head. Like you need any help with that."

"Something like that," he chuckled, waggling his eyebrows.

Martha whacked both of their shoulders, one after the other. "Terrible."


	9. Shopping?

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter Nine  
- Shopping? -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write. _

_Music: 2011 Big Brother Theme  
_

* * *

In the middle of breakfast, Jack looked over at the Doctor's double and tilted his head. "Not to be rude or anything, but what exactly should we be calling you? I mean, 'hay you' works in a pinch, but what about everyday conversation?"

The double looked up and tilted his head. "Been thinking about that." He paused to wash down his mouthful. "While John Smith _does_ work, it's not all that imaginative and screams 'fake name' at people."

"Worked enough for me," the Doctor said, frowning at him.

"_Hence_ the non imaginative part of what I said," he grinned at the Doctor. "I've an idea, but… uhm…" He pursed his lips, and locked eyes with Donna across the table. "Would you be opposed to Donald Michael?"

She blinked in a bit of shock, then grinned at him. "Seriously?"

"Why not?" he countered with a shrug. "I mean, we're technically _twins_ in a roundabout fashion as it is," he looked to the Doctor briefly, "_or triplets_, but I wont use Noble unless mum … I mean _Sylvia_ says it's all right."

Donna was all smiles. "Yeah, we can do that… _Don_," she nodded.

"Let me guess," Jack said, looking over to her. "You're middle name is Michelle?" Donna nodded, still grinning. "That does go rather well together," he smirked.

"Plus," Don said quietly, looking at Danielle. "I kinda wanted to pay my respects to Mickey at the same time… if that's all right."

Danielle looked up sharply with wide eyes, pausing mid chew. Swallowing forcibly, she blinked away the tears that were building up and nodded slightly. "I … I think he'd like that," she said under her breath. "Thank you," she smiled pensively.

"The Doctor, Donna and Donald," Jack said in a radio voice impression, "now in _3D_!" Groans from all around the table preceded several things getting tossed at Jack for the pun. Chuckling from under his defensive arm, he continued. "Plus, Donald Duck kinda fits."

"Oh, you _would_ think of that!" Don said loudly. The mini rant would've gone over better if he hadn't been grinning when he complained. Then there was the fact that he mimicked the character perfectly when he said it, causing a bit of an uproar.

* * *

"The Bane of Man… The _Mall_," the Doctor mumbled after several hours. He shouldn't have been surprised at Don's enthusiasm over the whole thing. What did though, was the man's stamina. Places like this really didn't impress him all that much. Sure, it had a nostalgic feel – _what with the inane gadgetry of the twenty first century and everything_ – but the fact that they were after a wardrobe of _clothes_ set his teeth on edge.

Clothes kept you warm and hid your modesty. If it was comfortable and suited his sense of style, the Doctor wasn't above having several identical sets made up. He wouldn't have even had a blue suit if Rose hadn't pestered him on it.

As it was, he'd opted out of the more in depth discussions on the subject and sat himself in the food court. Rose lasted all of ten minutes from tasting what he was eating, before joining him. As she unwrapped her chips, she gave him a coy smile. "Thanks for putting up with this. I know you hate it."

"It's just so _redundant_," he muttered. Mouth full, he switched to telepathy. _'I mean, I know that clothes make the man, so to speak. But the amount of thought he's putting to it makes my head spin.'_

_'And, how much time did you take to first put that outfit together?'_ Rose smirked, already knowing the answer.

His lips pursed as he drank his chocolate shake. _'Two hours,'_ he thought quietly, sounding rather sheepish about it. Glancing up, he grinned at the sight of Sarah and Danielle approaching with their own trays of food. "Hello, you lot. Taking a break from mister marathon man?"

"Just _watching_ him makes me tired," Danielle said as she sat down.

Sarah grinned, parking herself next to Rose and across from Danielle. "I dunno. I think it's sweet how he keeps asking her opinion."

"Who's? the Doctor asked.

Rose chuckled. "Martha's."

"Bout died laughing when he asked 'Does this make my bum look too big?'" Danielle giggled.

"Not half as much as how large her eyes got just staring at it," Sarah countered.

The look of horrific pain on her husband's face caused Rose to burst out laughing. "_Blimey_! Not while I'm drinkin'!" she complained. She looked up when she saw Jack across the way, locating them by her laugh, and waved him over.

* * *

Don was holding two packages, looking back and forth between them in a mutter. "Boxers… briefs… boxers…" His eyes lit on something, and he replaced the ones he had to pick up another one. "Aha! Bikini!" Smiling in triumph, he tossed it in the trolley.

_'Are you _tryin'_ to give her a heart attack?'_ Donna chided. _'I swear, the amount of pheromones she's putting out would choke an elephant!'_

Don bit his lip to keep from smirking. _'Oh, so it's workin' then?'_

"Stop it," Donna grumbled aloud, jabbing his shoulder.

"Ow!" he complained. "What'd I do?" Donna just scowled at him from the side.

For her part, Martha fought back what she was thinking by distracting the siblings. And boy, was it _easy_ thinking of them that way now, what with how they constantly bickered. "So, tell me something. Why is it, you're only buying one of everything? No backups?"

"Cheaper and easier that way," Don said. "All I really need is their pattern. Once they're aboard ship, the TARDIS can duplicate, tailor, and colour them any way I need."

"So this is just finding out what you like?" she asked.

"Pretty much," he nodded. "Thanks for helpin' out, by the way. I really appreci… ate…" His voice trailed off as something caught his eye. "Ohhhhh," he left the trolley and fast walked over to a headless mannequin that had a dark brown leather jacket on it.

Martha and Donna caught up with him, pushing the trolley along, as he began flipping through the rack. Finding the right size, he tried it on right there. Looking over at them with a spark in his wide eyes, grinning his face off, he bounced on his toes. "What you think? Can I have it mummy?"

Donna's mouth dropped open. "Don't call me _that_!"

He pouted. "But, part of me came from you, so…"

"I. Will. _Slap._ You. if you call me that again," Donna said slowly, glowering at him.

Martha was thoroughly amused. "I think it looks good," she said through her giggles. "Brings out your eyes, and… hold on." She stepped up to him and gave his hair the once over. "I just realized. You're hair is different."

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking concerned.

"You haven't had time to get your hair done, so where did…" she trailed off and turned to look at Donna. "I think he got a bit of your hair."

"Mirror, mirror, mirror," Don said rapidly, moving to a support column, which doubled as a place for customers to see how things fit on them. "Look… at _that_!" he smiled. "Ohh, he's gonna _kill_ me." He burst out laughing.

* * *

_'I HAVE GINGER HIGHLIGHTS!' _Don broadcast.

Luckily, the Doctor didn't have anything in his mouth, otherwise Rose would've had whatever it was all over her face. As it was, his jaw fell open. "That… _bastard_."

Rose didn't help at all when she burst out laughing again._ 'You hit the parlour?' _

_'Looks like it was _my_ fault,'_ Donna replied. _'It's not that noticeable, unless you're actually looking for it.'_

_'Well, that's something,'_ the Doctor grumbled.

Sarah was confused. _'Why is that such a big deal?'_

_'Remember when I told you how upset your father was,' _Rose thought to them all with a grin. _'When he found out he was brown instead of ginger?'_

_'You told her that?'_ Don said, sounding amused.

_'Stop gloating, before I belt you,'_ Donna threatened.

A hand waved in front of the Doctor's face, startling him. Looking over, he saw a worried Jack. "What's going on? Who's a bastard?"

* * *

Wilfred Mott heard something strange coming from the back garden. Opening the door from the kitchen, he saw the TARDIS fade into existence. Huge smile on his face, he looked back into the house. "Sylvia! Donna's back!"

The door to the TARDIS opened as Sylvia joined him. Their smiles lit up as Donna came out. She was hugging the both of them, when Wilfred saw the Doctor step out. "Oi, there he is! Did that nice young lady find you?"

The Doctor nodded with a big grin on his face as Rose came out. Noticing that she took the Doctor's hand, Wilf's brow went up. Rose actually blushed, and the Doctor chuckled as she became bashful – turning to hide her face in his shoulder.

"We have a lot to discuss," the Doctor said, looking back into the TARDIS.

* * *

"What if they don't accept me?" Don whispered to Martha.

She smiled and gave him a hug. "It'll be all right, regardless."

"Mum can be a bit… _much_," he said quietly. A tapping on his shoulder made him flinch.

"Go on," Martha encouraged, taking his hand. "Right behind you." The strength of his hand surprised her, but it wasn't painful – just extremely tight. It was almost as if she was his lifeline, she realized.

* * *

After Donna led her mother inside the house, Wilf saw the Doctor reach into that daft blue box of his. The other door opened, and he was shocked to see another Doctor step out. He recognized the black lady behind him from that strange conference call on his laptop. "I didn't know you had a twin, Doctor."

The second Doctor actually looked frightened. He was dressed far more casually than the Doctor, wearing denim trousers, trainers, a button up shirt and a dark brown leather jacket. It was odd, but the look on his face worried him. "You all right? I'm Wilf. He's told me absolutely _nothing_ about you," he grinned.

Don's face cracked and he started laughing. "Oh, I missed you Gramps." He let go of Martha's hand and wrapped Wilf up in a hug. Freezing up, he let go of him. "Uhm, I mean, nice to meet you, Wilfred." Wide eyed, he mumbled, "Maybe I should just wait in the TARDIS."

"The only one that's going to get yelled at is me, I expect," the Doctor said, putting a hand on Don's shoulder.

Martha stepped up to Don's left side and took his hand again. "If she yells at you, she'll have to go through me."

"What's all this?" Wilfred asked.

From inside the house, they all could hear Sylvia's sharp, "What?"

"Bad idea," Don mumbled. "Very bad idea. I should just… _go_."

Before he had the chance to move, the back door opened. Sylvia didn't even glance at the others as she stared at Don in absolute shock.

"Good to know _some_ things can make you speechless," Don said without thinking, then cringed over it.

"Sylvia?" Wilfred said, staring at her. "What's goin' on?"

"Dad, Donna's making tea," Sylvia said quietly. "Please make everyone comfortable in the sitting room. Doctor, explain things to him."

_'You all right?'_ the Doctor asked Don. The only reply he got was a small whimper as Don swallowed nervously. His attention was diverted when Rose tugged him into the house.

Once the door was closed, Sylvia was interrupted from what ever she was going to say by Martha. "Don't you _dare_ yell at him."

Startled, Sylvia blinked and looked at Martha. She noticed how the pair were holding hands and shook her head. "Not going to yell, just ask for some proof." While she was civil, her tone was anything but.

"You return every present given to you, exchanging it for something else, no matter the holiday," Don said quietly. "Except for one time, when you didn't have a choice. Donna put a lot of work into that sculpture, and you let it rot in the attic. Do you have any idea how much that _hurt_ her?"

Her hand moved before she realized it, and the sound of it hitting his cheek was immediately answered by another one. Blinking at the sting of her face, she turned a wide eyed look of shock at Martha.

"Slapping isn't allowed either," Martha said, her voice hard. "He's a little over a day old, and had no control over how he came to be. I don't care how much you rail against it, but he's as much your son as Donna is your daughter. If you want to say anything else to him, we'll be in the TARDIS." She turned him around. "C'mon Donald."

Before the doors closed, Martha looked back out. "_If_ you're nice." She then slammed the door and locked it.

The door to the house opened, and Sylvia saw a scalding glare from her daughter. "I see your _manners_ still leave a lot to be desired. Get inside the bloody house, mother!" she hissed.

* * *

Don stood in the console room in shock. He wasn't all that surprised, but it still hurt. He only realized he was shaking when Martha hugged him underneath his jacket.

"It's okay to cry," Martha whispered. She felt his arms come around her and his wet cheek against hers. His shaking got worse, and she held him tighter when he began softly sobbing. "Shhhhh. Got you," she murmured.


	10. The Wrath of Donna

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter Ten  
- The Wrath of Donna -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write.  
Donna… is pissed off. Fair warning._

* * *

Tea. It's one of the more respectable things one can make. Keeps you centred. Keeps you civilized. On the other side of the world, there were entire ceremonies devoted to it for various reasons. This side, though, was more along the lines of a preparation for an emotional siege. Well, that's what it _felt_ like for Donna at any rate.

She tried to explain it to her mother. Even got as far as telling her how much she'd changed, though not as far as telling her about her double heart status. Might be too much just yet. Still, Sylvia _seemed_ to understand what happened to make Donald come into existence. Which was all fine and dandy, up till she told her about the mental powwow. Sylvia was sceptical about Donna having the Doctor's memories, true, but she seemed to be completely mortified that Donald had all of hers.

So, when Sylvia blew out the back door, Donna kept with the preparation while peeking out the back window. She heard the no nonsense attitude her mother gave, and eyed Gramps as he led the Doctor and Rose inside. Martha stayed with Donald, much to her amusement. She didn't know whether to be pleased or disturbed. Martha was all right, for an actual doctor. She liked her fire.

Donald, on the other hand, she could tell he was twisting. It was really really odd, but everything she ever heard or read about twin-sense seemed to be appropriate, and even _amplified_ with him. Strange part was, it _wasn't_ that way with the Doctor. Maybe it was due to the fact that he and Rose were Married? _No, that's not the word. Bonded. Yeah, that's right. A proper mixing of everything…_

"She did _not_ just slap him!" Donna hissed, nearly shattering the china teapot in outrage. While it was satisfying to see Martha instantly retaliate, that wasn't near enough in her opinion. "This shite stops now," she muttered. Balling her fists, she headed out the back door.

* * *

Wilf ushered Rose and the Doctor into the sitting room and waited till they were all seated. "So, what's with all that?" he asked without preamble. This twin brother thing seemed to be rather important for some reason.

The Doctor decided to be succinct and to the point about things. "The short of it is, Donald is my clone."

"Like that sheep thing I read about a while back?" Wilf asked with a tilt to his head.

"Yes, but done differently," Rose nodded. "The how's and why's don't really matter at this point, but Donna was part of what happened."

Wilf blinked. "In what way?"

"She caused it," the Doctor said.

"Not in a bad way," Rose added. seeing Wilf's reaction.

The Doctor nodded. "She was part of the process of what happened. This resulted in a duplicate of me, with all of my memories. _But_, since she was the catalyst, Donald also has all of _her_ memories as well."

Wilf's head reared back. "So that hug he did…"

"Was him recognising you as his grandfather," Rose said pensively with a nod.

The Doctor picked up the thought. "_And_, that's why he backpedalled at the end of it. He's kind of… _stuck_… being two people at the same time."

"And Donna just told Sylvia," Wilf said wide eyed in a hush, standing up awkwardly. He made it two steps when they heard the back door bang, followed by a hushed rant from Donna. "Bugger," Wilf muttered. He made it to the kitchen when Sylvia was forcibly steered back into the house.

"Unhand me," Sylvia protested, trying to twist her arm out of her daughter's grip. "You're hurting me!"

Donna kicked the closest chair a bit away from the kitchen table and sat her mother in it. "_Sit_ down. _Shut_ it. And _listen_ to me!" she said angrily. "I will _not_ have you treat him the same as you've treated me all these years. I wont have it!" she shrieked.

"Donna, sweetheart," Wilf said, trying to make peace as usual.

She held a finger up towards him. "Not this time, Gramps. She's had this coming for ages." She caught him out of the corner of her eye, putting his index knuckle in his mouth.

Sylvia's ire was riled up. "I will _not_ sit here and have you…"

"_Treat_ you the same as you've treated _me_?" Donna countered. "_Sod_ that! You stepped over it, mother!" Unable to stand still, she started pacing the floor. "Stupid, _myopic_, can't see _anything_ unless it's in _front_ of her face," she ranted under her breath.

Coming to a stop in front of the kitchen table, she glared at her. "What the hell did he say to you?" Before her mother could respond, she threw her hands in the air. "You know what? I don't care." She pointed two fingers to her own forehead. "I can _feel_ him up here, mother. He may not have grown up with me, but he might as well have! Everything that's in my head is in his, and _that's_ what's got you scared! He knows all the dirty little _secrets_!"

"_Should we put a stop to this, before it all goes to pot and back?" _Rose thought to her husband.

He shook his head. _"This has been building for years. Complete emotional powder keg, with nitro nine for an added kick in the head. Part of the reason I shied away from domestics for so long."_

"_Too many reminders of your father?"_ Rose asked, looking up at him and giving him a sideways squeeze.

The Doctor pursed his lips and nodded. _"Yeah."_ And there was the rub to being laid open mentally, he discovered. However, he felt Rose caressing his mind in comfort and showed him some comparisons with her own shouting matches with Jackie, and it wasn't so bad. He leaned over and kissed her temple in gratitude.

They both were distracted by a ball of anger coming towards them, and snapped their heads to the back door. It slammed inward and Sarah literally stalked into the house. "Who did it?" she hissed, glaring at everyone.

"Sarah, don't," Rose said, shaking her head.

"Don't worry. I've got this one, sweetheart," Donna said at the same time.

Sarah shook her head. "_Who_ did it?" she asked again, before pointing behind her. "My uncle is in _tears_. Who Did It!"

Wilfred flinched and headed out the back, with an "Oh dear." Having played peacemaker in the family for years, this was right up his street. Plus, from what the Doctor said, this Donald was effectively his _grandson_. It was a bit weird, but if he was really like Donna, he needed him right bloody _now_.

Rose, knowing that this wasn't their place, headed over and took Sarah gently by the arm. "Swee'hear', let Donna handle this," she said over her daughter's protest, and guided her back out of the house.

Looking around the room at all the commotion, Sylvia was completely at a loss. Donna was giving her _her own_ glare back in her face, with crossed arms and a tapping foot. And now, the Doctor went to stand beside her with a glower.

"Sylvia Winifred Mott Noble, I recommend you listen to your daughter and take what she says to heart," the Doctor quietly said to her, before turning to Donna. "I know there are hard feelings, but _please_ try not to go over the top," he murmured. "We'll be in the TARDIS." With that, he left the house.

It was quiet for a moment, and the staring match was locked between mother and daughter for quite a while. Eventually, Sylvia blinked. "This is too much!" she shouted with her hands out.

Donna tilted her head. "Everything that makes the Doctor _the Doctor_ is in my head as well as Donald's. Everything that makes me _Donna_ is also in Donald's. We have the _same_ doubled memories.

"The Doctor's people are telepathic, and I am now _one of_ those people. With everything that's in our heads, we are effective fraternal _twins_. You don't have to accept him, but you _damn well_ better _respect_ him.

"He only wanted _one thing_, mother. Knowing how you are, he came anyway," Donna went on, not letting up. "Don named himself _Donald Michael_ after me, but would not commit himself to Noble without your permission."

When Sylvia blinked in confusion, Donna's glare turned into a scowl. "_Sod_ your permission, you self centred, egotistical, always has to be right, holier than thou _bitch_!" she shrieked.

With that, Donna spun on her heel while Sylvia's mouth hung open, and slammed the kitchen door on her way out of the house. Entering the TARDIS, she saw Gramps hugging Don and went to join him, hugging them both. "You don't _ever_ have to put up with her again," she whispered in Don's ear. "I wont _allow_ her abuse you like she did me."


	11. The Wisdom of Mott

_**"The Six" AU  
'Journeys Converge'  
**__Chapter Eleven  
- The Wisdom of Mott -_

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't own squat, except what I write._

_Music: The Beginning of the End (Ladytron Remix)_

* * *

Martha was in trouble and she knew it. Barely a month since she and Tom called it quits, and now this beautiful, innocent doppelgänger of the Doctor was under her skin. _Beautiful? Innocent? Oh, Lord,_ she thought to herself as she held Donald together in a hug. _I haven't even reported in to UNIT yet!_

Innocent was how it started, too. Or not so innocent, she realized. He _had_ checked her out like any other bloke. True, it was a bit inappropriate with _when_ he did it. Still, _he_ gave her the once over like the Doctor _never_ had. It felt nice. Beyond nice, really.

Then the bastard was showing her up on how to shop, while asking her opinion on what looked nice on him, no less. Taught her a few tricks as well, which was good. But, him going through underclothes without a care in the world about did her in, especially when he settled on that high hipped bikini style with _that grin_.

Yeah, she was picturing how they'd look on him. The bastard.

_I am so done for_, she thought to herself. _And how inappropriate is it to be thinking how nice he smells while comforting him, anyway? _

_God. Distraction! Now, please!_

Oddly enough, she got her wish. "What happened?" Sarah whispered from somewhere close by.

Glancing over Don's shoulder, Martha saw her standing next to them and shook her head. "It didn't go well," she said quietly.

The dark coldness that crept over Sarah's face was something Martha saw a few times before; a near match for the Doctor's when he was truly pissed off. _Oh shit_, she thought to herself. "Sarah, don't…"

Sarah's hand flew up and interrupted her train of thought. Seeing her walk calmly to the main doors of the TARDIS, the smile she had wasn't pretty at all. It looked rather malicious, to tell the truth. "I wont hurt them." The 'much' was left unsaid, but Martha felt it anyway.

After she was gone, Don seemed to come out of his state. "Sorry," he murmured in her ear.

She shook her head. "Nothing to be sorry for." Impulsively, she turned her head and kissed his cheek. "Remember, this is about _you_… not them. If they can't handle things, then it's their own fault. Personally, I think you're perfect." _Oh, I'm done for,_ she thought.

Don drew back enough to look her in the eye, and she wiped the tears from his face with a hand. "That's twice you've kissed me."

The bluntness made her blink. _Did he not like it?_ "That all right?" she asked with a slight frown.

A half grin went over his face with a slight gust of a chuckle. "More than all right," he said. After a beat, the wan grin filled the other side of his face. "Brilliant, in fact."

And with that, he closed the distance to kiss her on the lips. While chaste, it was very different from when the Doctor kissed her to fool the Judoon. Lasted a lot longer as well, and she felt her toes curling. When it was over, they were hugging again.

The outer door opened, and Martha saw Wilfred. Instead of looking the place over in wonder like most did, his eyes landed on the back of Don's head. Tapping his shoulder, she got him to turn around and prepared herself for the worst.

Wilf looked him over with worry all over his face. _He_ has _been crying_, he thought. "You all right?" Seeing that the only response to that was a rather owlish blinking, he stepped up and palmed the side of his face. "Are you all right?" he asked again, a bit slowly this time.

Don swallowed, forcibly shoving the hope that this more than familiar act provoked to the side. "I'm always all right," he winced slightly at the crack in his voice. The usual that the Doctor used was so much crap like that.

"Liar," Martha said quietly. "You don't have to hide it, you know."

Mouth in a bit of a smirking wince, Don looked up to a random hexed roundel. "Right. No, I'm not, and you really can't fix this one Gr– _Wilfred_. You can't say that she really loves me and doesn't know what she said. She doesn't know me, and you don't either so that one just wont fly this time."

Wilfred caught the name slip, and that cracking almost whisper made his brow furrow even more with sorrow. He was right. The usual platitudes really _wouldn't_ cut it this time. A quick glance at Martha, and he stepped forward to hug the man.

Don was startled by the hug, and his arms went up in surprise. Looking down, he wavered for a moment. Just a moment, but it was filled with racing questions. _Is this real?_ was the most prevalent. Giving up, his breath hitched again with a whimper before he wrapped his arms around whom he remembered to be his grandfather.

Stepping back a bit, Martha moved her fists to her pensive smile. _Half better than nothing,_ she thought. Feeling wetness on her hands, she wiped her face and stood by. While this was a bit of a private moment, she couldn't help but put a hand on Don's shoulder – adding to the support.

The outer door opened, and a protesting Sarah was being force-walked inside. "_Dammit_, mum! She…" Her tirade was cut short before it begun when she saw the hug in progress.

Rose and Martha shared a bit of a smile with each other, before she lightly swatted Sarah on her bum to move her forward. "Right. Well, one good thing about your temper," she said as they moved to the other side of the console room, "got them talking. So, not grounded," she mock whispered.

The glower Sarah gave her over that made her mother giggle a bit. A light pop on her mum's shoulder, she sat in the jump seat and frowned at the squeak it made. "We need to update some things in here. Not exactly child safe, is it?"

Rose rolled her eyes. _'Like it ever was anyway,'_ she thought to her by accident. Realizing that, she looked at her. _'We'll discuss that later, and that didn't get you completely out of a talking too about that near slip up out there. Remember: Always control your emotions before a confrontation. You can seriously…'_

_'Hurt someone. I know. I'm sorry,'_ Sarah thought back as she slumped a bit. Ever since she broke a bloke's arm by accident, she'd been corralled into anger management against her will. Wasn't her fault she didn't look stronger than most. Besides, the git deserved it for backhanding her girlfriend like that.

Rose patted her shoulder with an approving grin, then leaned over and kissed her on her forehead. _'Love you, wildcat.'_

Sarah rolled her eyes and smirked. _'Love you too, mum.'_

The outer door opened again, and the Doctor grinned as he passed the trio by the door. Noticing the other two by the jump seat, he went to stand next to Rose and took her hand. "Nice distraction, Sarah. Wouldn't have been quite as pushy about it, but I do like the results over there."

Sighing at the triumphant smile on Sarah's face, Rose turned her head to look up at her husband with an 'idiot' expression on her face. "Don't get any ideas, Sarah. He doesn't know about the counselling yet. So, no bouncing us against each other."

"I stand corrected," the Doctor said apologetically, then looked at their daughter. "I take it there's a bit of a story there, yeah?"

Deflating with a sigh, Sarah just nodded her head. Wanting to opt out of that discussion, she raised her brow and focussed on Wilfred and her Uncle. A half grin grew when she noticed Martha's hand on his shoulder.

Pulling back from the hug a bit, Wilfred looked up at Don. "I know that my usual talk wont work. What I _will_ say, though, is that I tried very hard to snap her out of that way of thinking. Her mother was the same way, God rest her soul, and Sylvia only got worse after she left us. About the only thing I can say to you, is that it will take time."

Don nodded dumbly, knowing this bit already, and was distracted by Donna rushing in to hug them both. "You don't ever have to put up with her," she whispered in his ear. "I wont _allow_ her abuse you like she did me."

"Now, sweetheart, you know what she's like," Wilf said quietly.

She popped her head back. "That's just it, Gramps, _we _know. She may be my mother, but that doesn't mean I have to like her. The constant negative nagging; the completely self-centred attitude; She may mean well, but her way of going about it is worse than using a sledge to crack an _egg_, for pity's sake!

I may have had to put up with it, but I wont let her do it to him!" she ended up ranting. "He and I are the same in every way except gender, Granddad," she pointed to herself and Don with a finger. "Like I told her, we are effective twins…"

"I know," Wilf interrupted her. "Sweetheart, I _know_. The Doctor explained it, and I _think_ I got the gist of it. Not all that bright in some areas, but I think I got family down pat." He looked up at Don. "Might surprise the both of you to know that I always wanted a son or grandson." He paused to eye Donna from the side. "Not to say I haven't loved you any less, my dear, but I can say that I'm not closed to this.

And, knowing that you two have all the same experiences, you should know that I mean all of that. Right Don?" he finished with _that look_. The one that he would give Donna whenever he'd talk her down… The one with his head down in a tilt, while looking up through his brow with a bit of a smirk on his face.

Don lasted three seconds before he started chortling. "_Bloody_ hell!" His head went back in a bit of a cackle, then hugged Wilf and Donna at the same time. "Mott power," he said in a bit of a titter.

Donna and Wilfred both started chuckling at what they usually said after one of these, and echoed it together. 'Mott power.'

"So…" Don mumbled in their huddle. "Mott or Noble?"

"Noble," Donna said in an equal mumble. "_Sod_ what she thinks. Look weird if we're twins with different names, you think?"

"Not opposed to either," Wilf said, "but whichever you two decide is fine with me."

"Really?" Don said.

Wilf nodded. "You think I didn't mean what I said before?"

Don shared a quick look with Donna and noticed her knowing smirk, then a matching one slowly grew on his face. "Sorry. Bit new to this. Well, new to _everything_, no matter what I've got in my head. I look at you, Donna, and see what I expect to see in a mirror. Then I look at the Doctor and see what I actually see in the mirror. _Damned_ if it isn't confusing as hell."

"How bout we hit a chippy?" Wilfred said.

"No fried," Don and Donna said at the same time.

Wilf looked put out. "Oh, _wonderful_. Now I get it in bleedin' stereo."

"Bit of a downside," Don started.

"to have another mouth on this," Donna continued.

"Doesn't mean that we don't…"

"…love you any less though."

"Oh my God, it's Fred and George," Rose quipped with big eyes.

Martha nodded. "Just a bit, yeah."

"Oh, _great_," Sarah said grumpily, "_More_ Henry Potter fans."

"Harry!" Rose shouted.

"Henry?" the Doctor asked at the same time. "That's just…"

"_Completely_ wrong," Rose nodded angrily. "No tea, odd names for books and whatever." She sighed, then grinned. "Bout the only thing good about Henry Potter, was that he ended up with Hannah Granger, Hermione's name over there. Ron's still Ron, and jealous prat."

"Did you by chance…" the Doctor stage whispered.

Rose nodded with a big grin. "E-Book versions of a lot of things. Have an entire library's worth for you."

"Brilliant!" the Doctor, Don and Donna said at the same time.


End file.
